Under the Island
by Irene Claire
Summary: Post E Malama. Season 1 Episode 16. Housing Commissioner Bruce Hoffman goes after Danny with a vengeance after Danny threatens him over the Stan issue. He hires professionals to first obtain Stan's tapes which Danny now has and then to dispose of Danny - permanently.
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

Summary: Post E Malama. Season 1 Episode 16. Housing Commissioner Bruce Hoffman goes after Danny with a vengeance after Danny threatens him over the Stan issue. Hiring professionals to first obtain Stan's tapes which Danny now has and then to dispose of Danny.

**NOTES: Okay, so now that I'm hooked on this FF stuff, you all must put up with another plot line that has taken over my little brain and has found its way onto my laptop. The Danny sub plot in this episode intrigued me and I've always expected some sort of repercussion from Bruce Hoffman. And since it hasn't occurred, welcome to my musings.**

**Please let me know what you think – I always enjoy your comments, advice and constructive criticisms! **

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O*H5O***

**Chapter One – Under the Island**

Bruce Hoffman was genuinely afraid after Detective Williams' visit that evening and Hoffman resented that fear. That fear made him angry. That fear made him vindictive. So his plans were already in motion by the time Williams had left the restaurant and they were subsequently solidified by the time he'd worked out the housing permits with Stan Edwards regarding his new properties on the Island.

Danny had stayed in the Camaro as Stan met with Hoffman to ensure time didn't lapse between his impromptu visit and the finalizing of Stan's business dealings. The excuse was that he didn't want Hoffman to "forget his message." Choosing to ignore what that message might have been or how it might have been delivered, Stan shrugged it off and trusted Danny to have done the right thing – meaning doing whatever would eventually be in Grace's best interests - as he went into the meeting.

And after Stan left the offices, he remained ignorantly pleased and impressed that Danny was able to assist him "so incredibly well". While he had willingly enough given Danny the tapes, he didn't know that Danny had not only physically confronted Hoffman but had also threatened him. He also didn't know that the 'message' had created such ire.

"They're both stupid if they think this is over." He muttered to himself as he dialed the private number. Discreetly describing his needs, Hoffman arranged for half the money to be transferred immediately. He wanted the job done quickly and efficiently; and it wouldn't be of the scare tactic ilk originally used with Stan which had inadvertently included Rachel and the Williams child.

This was a well-oiled, no nonsense initiative that would yield the tapes for Hoffman and make Detective Danny Williams disappear – forever.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

June Pane'e had an impressive lineage that traced back eons to original Hawaiian ancestors. On her maternal side, that same lineage claimed to have highly respected shamans, psychics and mystics. And though she very much respected her mother and grandmother who practiced these arts for a lifetime, June had pursued a "real" job in corporate. She had gone to college, graduated with honors and had a bona fide career mapped out for herself in a lovely corporate complex in downtown Honolulu.

Privately, she thought the world of psychics and mystics was ridiculous in this day and age until she literally fell into Detective Daniel Williams on a late Saturday night. They accidentally collided on the sidewalk coming out of two separate restaurants with diverse rowdy groups of friends. Laughing, they righted each other and were about to go their separate ways until June had a premonition. It was strong, sharp and included tastes, feelings and sounds - and it totally floored her.

"Oh my god." She squeaked as a myriad of odd sights and sounds all relating to Danny Williams flashed through her mind. Reeling from the powerful sensations, June tasted tinny blood and was overwhelmed by a feeling of dread as she sensed a dark, wet cold blackness. She could almost smell the ocean, but it held an ominous and dank mustiness that terrified her.

Startled and thinking he had hurt her, Danny kept a firm hold of both her arms as he steadied her. "Are you okay?"

Unable to catch her breath, she nodded with wide eyes. Stumbling over her words, June felt a strong need to warn him but didn't know what to say. Stepping forward, he bent down kindly to catch her eye. "Are you sure? Do you need to sit down?"

Finally finding her tongue, the only thing that came unbidden out of her mouth shocked even her. "You're in danger. Under the island." Clapping her hand over her mouth, she backed up and felt like a fool.

His tall dark haired friend had come over by then and he was just staring at her with an odd expression. "What? Why would you say that?"

"I don't know." June whispered. "I just had the strangest feeling. It's stupid. I'm sorry." Waving them off and her friends forgotten, she turned quickly and just started to walk anywhere. Looking over her shoulder with frightened eyes, she realized that both men were still watching her. Doubling her pace, she eventually wound up sitting in her car trembling. "What was that? What did I do?"

Starting her car, her intent to go home was replaced with an intense desire to see her mother. Reversing direction, she went directly to the small house where she'd grown up.

Seeing her tear-stained face, her mother nodded and smiled gently. "And so, it's finally happened."

Welcoming June in warmly, her mother closed the door and readied herself for the discussion that had been a long time coming.

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

Summary: Post E Malama. Season 1 Episode 16. Housing Commissioner Bruce Hoffman goes after Danny with a vengeance after Danny threatens him over the Stan issue. Hiring professionals to first obtain Stan's tapes which Danny now has and then to dispose of Danny.

**NOTES: this got to be super whumpy – umm, more than I had intended.**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

**Chapter Two – Under the Island**

"That was odd." Steve was smiling as he shrugged and watched the young woman virtually run away in embarrassment. "I wonder why she said that."

"No reason. I'm sure." Blowing it off, Danny waved his hand in the air as he turned back towards Steve. "Probably too much to drink." And then laughing, he added. "Or, maybe my excellent good looks simply caught her off guard. Animal magnetism and all that."

Snorting, Steve nearly choked as he laughed. "Sure. Yeah, that's gotta be it!"

Smacking him on the shoulder, June already forgotten, Danny was flippant and in a great mood.

"_**I**_ will see _**you**_ on Monday. Not a minute before!" Planning to spend Sunday with his daughter, Danny was already looking at his watch and estimating how many hours he had until he picked up Grace for breakfast, followed by an afternoon at the zoo.

Walking the short distance to their respective vehicles, the two parted ways. "Have a good time tomorrow, Danno. Be careful around all those animals. You know – with your magnetism and all. You wouldn't want to scare Gracie."

Danny laughed even louder as he got in his car. "Funny man, Steve. Funny man."

Neither noticed the black van parked almost two blocks back near the intersection. And as Danny pulled away in his Camaro, it too also left the curb to follow at a distance. Knowing in advance where Danny was going, they had no need for an actual tail.

Speed dialing the cell phone number of the man currently ransacking Danny's place for the tape, the passenger simply said "he's on his way".

Coming up empty in his search, the assassin thumbed off his cell phone without a word. He'd done a good job of looking through every possible square inch of the place and yet, no tape. Relocking the front door and turning off the lights, he sat quietly on the sofa and waited for Williams to come home. Lithe and agile, his muscles were already poised for the pending altercation.

Eight minutes later, Danny parked his Camaro and jogged up the short flight of stairs to his current, small residence and unlocked the door. As he entered and slammed the door shut, something hit him solidly once in the solar plexus. Caught unaware, the wind was completely knocked out of him and the air left his lungs as he fell to his knees. Still in the dark, Danny nearly vomited from the force of the unexpected kick.

"God!" he choked, as he gasped and staggered half-way to his feet. But as his hand automatically found his gun, another well aimed kick caught him square in the temple and once again dropped him to the floor. Not knowing where the attack was coming from or why, Danny was confused, unnerved and now at a total disadvantage.

As he gamely struggled to rise again, Danny vainly tried to see the person toying with him. But in the pitch blackness, he was at a loss. Silently, the man stood to the side and watched as Williams slowly rocked to his knees. He could see that even though the Detective still had a good hold of his weapon, he was now trembling and defenseless.

Smiling to himself, he considered his next move. He could kill the detective outright or hurt him just enough to incapacitate as the next part of the plan was unleashed. Dead or alive, Williams' part in the second half was minimal. However, and since he hadn't yet located the tape for their client or received full payment, the assassin decided on the latter.

Decision made, he orchestrated two well aimed blows. The first fractured two ribs, and as Danny once more hit the floor in pain, the second caught him again in the temple. Now bleeding and unconscious, he laid unmoving only one step inside his front door.

Bending down, the assassin took Danny's cell phone, gun and badge. Gathering up the items, he placed them in a small bag since they were inherent next steps in the plan.

Finally satisfied, he casually pulled out his cell phone and dialed the two men who were now outside the complex and waiting in the van. Hearing his one word of "ready", the two professionals were cautious but efficient as they silently joined the assassin. With pre-defined precision, Danny was slung over their shoulders and hustled out of the building. Zip-tying his hands in front, their victim remained unconscious as the three left the complex unseen.

Driving north, the team took a concealed access road to an old dilapidated dock with a small moored motor boat. Transferring Danny, they immediately jetted out up the shore-line. Sighting the sea cave, the assassin pointed and indicated the direction.

The remote sea cave was the assassin's brainchild. Unfamiliar with the islands, he had researched the natural features native to Hawaii. Accidentally finding references and newspaper articles about these caves and their dangers, he had immediately come to the conclusion that the network provided interesting options. The cave he had chosen went far back and deep under the rock cliffs and had two points of entrance. And it could only be accessed in very calm weather. With extremely strong currents and high winds, swells crashed into the cliff nearly filling the cave entrance all other times. But a well defined and rocky shelf area deep in the back remained fairly high above water.

As with everything that had been planned thus far that night, the weather was as required to allow their small boat to enter one side of the cave. Using powerful flashlights to make their way, they slowed as they carefully approached the high and rocky shelf at the very back. One man left the boat as the other two efficiently helped him to roll, push and pull Danny onto the ledge.

Moaning, Danny was now semi-conscious and feebly struggling against the man-handling. Whispering, he repeatedly said "No" as the one man pulled him back against the far wall.

As he easily jumped back into the boat, they then all waited as the assassin tossed a small duffle bag next to Danny's head. The duffle held a thin blanket, small flashlight, bottled water and a few power bars.

Noticing the curiosity from his two accomplices, the assassin offered a brief explanation. "Just for a couple of days. In case we need him."

As some realization dawned on Danny, he weakly tried to call out to the men who had abandoned him. But he was unable to do more than whisper. Moaning, he closed his eyes in shock.

And as they left, the three motored straight through and out the second cave opening without a glance back. Making their way towards the old and remote dock, they retraced their steps back to the van. One by one they eventually parted ways as they waited for their next instructions.

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	3. Chapter 3

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

Summary: Post E Malama. Season 1 Episode 16. Housing Commissioner Bruce Hoffman goes after Danny with a vengeance after Danny threatens him over the Stan issue. Hiring professionals to first obtain Stan's tapes which Danny now has and then to dispose of Danny.

**NOTES: all of this is out of my crazy head – I'm trying to get us much done as possible and the muse is pushing hard so the story has taken over right now. It has a life of its own so I find myself writing like mad during lunch at work, and then all evening.**

**But I do have a long vacation weekend coming up and a business trip next week. I will satisfy the muse (I should name her since she takes over the keyboard I guess!) and continually work to get this story told. **

**Be warned that if not done, I'm definitely going to be unable to do anything on the weekend (wine festival). And the muse will be tipsy! **

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

**Chapter Three – Under the Island**

June spent the entire night and into the early morning hours talking with her mother. Gently coaching her daughter, Loni told her to first write down everything she had felt or sensed.

"The best way to understand what happened, is to literally write down everything freely. Don't even think about if it makes sense or if doesn't make sense. Just write it all down." Pushing paper and pen to June, her mother tapped the blank pad. "Let's do it now while it's still fresh in your mind." Leaving the table, Loni put water on for tea and watched her daughter at the small kitchen table.

Secretly, she was proud that June finally connected with her ancestry. But at the same time, she was sorry for the responsibilities that June would undoubtedly now have to face.

Pausing in her writing, June took a deep breath. She still was fearful about her experience and the feelings were very real and vibrant. Glancing to her mother, Loni smiled back confidently as she leaned up against the counter and so June went back to her list.

Twenty minutes later, the pad was filled with disconnected words and phrases. Passing it back to her mother, June sipped her tea and waited. "Now what?" she asked quietly.

"This is good. Very good." Loni felt a brief satisfaction as she read through the detailed notes that included a varied host of adjectives, verbs and descriptive feelings. June's connection was strong and natural; and it most certainly had a real significance. The challenge would be to understand and define the danger before it was too late.

"Now, we're going to divide this list into what I call tangibles. We list out all the physical things on one piece of paper, all the emotional feelings on another, and so on. This way, we can create relationships and try to understand places and things."

Sighing, June was surprised. "So much work? Did you – do you – always figure things out like this?"

Loni considered the question. "Well, no not all the time and as you gain experience you'll learn what's important and what needs to be discarded. But when the feelings are so strong and the premonition so vivid, this is the best way to organize your brain." And Loni tapped her own head as she smiled.

"Gain experience?" June was frightened and defensive. "Mom, I'm not sure I want this to happen _**ever**_ again!"

Soothingly, Loni held June's hand. "That's fine. Let's just do one thing at a time then. We need to take care of this for the time being. You may really be able to help this man."

"But I don't even know who _**he**_ is." June said with frustration. "How could I ever find him to tell him."

Still holding her hand, Loni gave it a warm squeeze and wasn't worried. "He'll find a way to find you."

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

Steve groaned with disgust as he rolled over and pulled the pillow down hard over his head. He had fully intended to sleep late – he knew that he deserved one day to actually sleep late and especially after safely delivering Julie Masters, the star witness the highly publicized murder trial against Aaron Brenner.

But the cell phone continued to ring and vibrate persistently on the table near his bed. Whoever was calling so tirelessly wasn't leaving a message and he could tell. It would ring five times – pause – and then begin all over again.

On the fifth repetitive round, he gave up and grabbed it off the table but had already missed the caller.

"Fine! You win!" Rubbing sleep from his face, he saw that it was almost nine fifteen in the morning. But then stopped cold as he looked closely at the caller ID. "Gracie?" he muttered. "What the …?" And he stopped as the phone began to ring in his hand once again flashing "Grace" across the screen.

Answering on the first ring he was now wide awake but confused. "Grace?" But instead of her little voice, he found himself listening to a near hysterical Rachel Edwards. "Steve? Steve. Thank goodness you finally answered. Do you know where Danny is?"

"Rachel? What – no. We had dinner last night. He went home and said that he was going to pick up Grace for breakfast. He should be with her right now." Standing, he then briefly paced his bedroom as he put Rachel on speaker. And as he listened to her anxious words, he dressed rapidly.

"Yes, yes he should be. But he never showed up this morning and Grace is very upset. He's over an hour late. I was hoping you knew where he was." Lowering her voice, Rachel was distressed and Steve knew that Grace was listening nearby. "Steve. He'd never miss a day with Grace. His cell just goes to voicemail and I've been trying constantly for the last hour. I don't know what to do." Quietly, Rachel added, "I'm honestly worried. It feels wrong."

Nodding into the air as he slammed feet into boots and grabbed his badge and gun. "Rachel. It could be nothing – maybe car trouble or his cell phone battery died." But as he said the words, Steve knew they were empty and he frowned. Danny's ex-wife was right – it just felt wrong – _off_.

"I'm going over to his place now. Tell Gracie everything will be fine. I'll call you back."

Cutting off the call with Rachel, he auto-dialed Danny's cell and sure enough it went immediately to voicemail. Bolting out of his house, he parked his truck next to the Camaro less than fifteen minutes later. Feeling marginally better to actually see the car, Steve took the steps two at a time to Danny's front door. But not getting a response to his knocking, he tried the doorknob and was surprised to find it unlocked.

Hoping that he was being overly-cautious and possibly just plain stupid, he pulled out his gun as he slowly eased the door open with his boot. And then was instantly stunned by the level of destruction that met his eyes and he had to stop himself from just entering in a rush. Obviously now a crime scene, Danny's place was almost fully demolished. Mindful of his track, Steve forced himself to go slow as he kept his weapon now decisively at the ready.

"_Come on – come on_." He softly muttered to himself; and then he spoke louder as he cleared each room in the small space. "Danny. Danny, you in here?"

As he spied the small drops of blood on the carpet and then a few more sprayed on the inside of the door, Steve felt like he'd been sucker punched.

"_Oh my god_." He whispered faintly. Holstering his weapon, he first called HPD for a crime scene unit and then alerted Chin and Kono. As he waited alone, he stood in the middle of the room and felt sick. "What happened? For god's sake what happened?"

Arriving quickly, the Five-0 team tried to take in the devastation and come up with a game plan. Mere seconds later, the HPD crime scene also arrived and diligent work began to gather any possible evidence.

Worry already creasing his face and with apprehension evident in his voice, Steve was at a total loss. "Who would take him - and why?" Bewildered, he stood in the kitchen with arms out-stretched.

"And what were they looking for? This isn't random – there's a definite search pattern here." Chin was slowly moving from room to room looking for signs of anything helpful. Equally concerned, Kono took blood samples with the crime scene unit from both carpet and door. "I'm not aware of anything. But let's hope this isn't Danny's …"

Watching Kono with the samples, Steve needed to leave the room. "I have to call Rachel." He said quietly. Walking outside he leaned against the Camaro in the parking lot and made the call to Rachel.

Hearing the same shock in her voice, Steve closed his eyes as the morning's events quickly became overwhelming.

"Rachel, if you think of anything that could help. _**Call**_. Call me right away." Turning, he looked into the Camaro, but the car was untouched and was exactly as Danny had left it the night before.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

Coming around slowly, Danny blinked his eyes and grimaced at the severe pain in his head and lower ribs. Lying on his right side, his hands were still zip-tied in front of him as he faced the mouth of the cave. In the distance, he could see the blue of the ocean and bright sunshine glittering off the waves. Shocky and confused, it took many moments for him to understand what he was seeing. As his dazed eyes roamed the dark cavern walls and ceiling, he naturally found himself drawn to the daylight which was so incredibly far away.

Closing his eyes, he did his best to rationalize where he was. "Please. How?" he whispered. But then struggling to control his emotions, he gritted his teeth and mentally berated himself. "Suck it up Danno."

As he took stock of his surroundings again, he noticed the small duffle bag that had been carelessly tossed near his head. Trembling from the damp cold that seeped into him from the uneven rock ledge, he tried to shift his body in order to reach the bag. But he nearly cried out as his ribs grated and the pain in his head flared. Breathing shallowly, he stayed down as he slowly extended his bound hands towards the duffle and gradually pulled it closer.

With his hands tied together, Danny fumbled badly with the bag's zipper. Struggling many times and groaning in frustration, he finally was able to open it but his hopes plunged as he saw the scant supplies. Shaky from the long effort, he found some resolve to yank the small blanket out. Panting and still lying on his side, he was unable to open it fully or drape it over his shoulders.

Closing his eyes, he was already becoming desperate. And though the blanket was thin, he knew that he had to try something to retain his body heat. Placing his bound hands close to his upper body, he grimaced and bit his lip as he tried to right his body.

Almost in tears from the pain and revoltingly dizzy from the pain in his head, Danny finally got himself propped up against the rear wall of the rock ledge. Feeling nauseous, he continued to force himself to work on getting the blanket opened and draped across the upper half of his legs and torso. Leaning back, he felt marginally better as he found breathing easier once the pressure was off his fractured ribs.

For a moment he tried to think who or why this had been done to him. "Think Williams." He muttered, but his brain was muddled and he was unable to focus. As his mind wandered and he drifted, he finally remembered the zoo.

"It's Sunday morning. Gracie." Allowing himself to drift deeper as he stared out towards the cave's opening, he barely sighed. "Danno loves you."

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	4. Chapter 4

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

Summary: Post E Malama. Season 1 Episode 16. Housing Commissioner Bruce Hoffman goes after Danny with a vengeance after Danny threatens him over the Stan issue. Hiring professionals to first obtain Stan's tapes which Danny now has and then to dispose of Danny.

**NOTES: this chapter should answer a ton of questions. I'm working on hard on it - I hope you like it! ****Be warned that if not done, I'm definitely going to be unable to do anything on the weekend (wine festival). And the muse will be tipsy! **

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

**Chapter Four – Under the Island**

Finally going to bed in her old room near four in the morning, June fell asleep immediately. Waking in the early afternoon, she stretched and stared contentedly at the ceiling for a few minutes. Smiling, she heard her mother faintly humming outside in her small flower garden.

Yawning, she made her way to the kitchen, put water on for tea and flipped the TV on for noise. As she sipped her tea on the old couch, she blandly watched a few commercials and then a quick news snippet. Recapping the week's top events, the newscaster's second blurb was about Aaron Brenner's indictment. Citing the assistance of the Five-O task force, June nearly dropped her tea when she saw McGarrett's image briefly as he and his team departed the courthouse.

"That's him!" she nearly shouted. Getting up, she ran outside to her mother and literally pulled her back into the house. Flipping channels and trying to find other updates, June finally gave up and went to her mother's computer. "Here. This is him – this is the other guy." Pointing to the article's online images, her mother could clearly see McGarrett's as she read the byline about the Five-O task force.

June was excited and relieved. "We need to see him. Can we do that?"

Nodding, Loni was already headed for the phone. "This is good June. Uncle can help. I'll call him now and see what he can do." Calling her older sister, Loni explained briefly what she needed from her sister's husband. June perked up when she heard the "Oh! He's working today then?" and as the call ended, her mother seemed slightly worried.

"Let's go now June. Get dressed." And she was on her feet quickly, old habits taking over as she reacted to her mother's requests. "Uncle is working today and we can go see him."

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

Parking in front of HPD headquarters, Loni walked confidently into the offices and asked to see her brother-in-law, Duke Lukela. Sensing the tension as she watched the flurry of activity, June was uneasy as she waited next to her mother.

"Maybe we should go." June whispered and she folded and unfolded the stack of loose papers in her hands. "Uncle seems to have a big case on his hands."

But Loni was already moving towards Duke as he came out of his office. With a big hug, she quickly explained that she and June needed to speak to him privately. Frowning, Duke put his hands on Loni's shoulders gently.

"Another day, okay." He was abrupt and very distracted, as he tried to escort her out of the HPD offices. "We have a possible kidnapping and I can't take time right now. So later, Loni, please." But as he tried to walk her past the front desk, she resisted and refused to budge. Pulling her daughter forward, June mumbled and was already embarrassed by her mother's persistence. "Hi Uncle. I'm sorry …."

Ignoring them both, Loni was firm and she snagged her daughter's hand anchoring her to the spot. "June has information, Duke. It's important and it may help."

Sighing, Duke ran both hands over his face and through his thinning hair. Having been raised traditionally, he automatically respected the mystical and religious aspects of his culture. However, he wasn't entirely sure it had a place or purpose in police work and certainly not with the issues they were facing that day.

But looking at his niece's concerned face and knowing Loni wouldn't let it rest, he nodded once. "Alright, my office but this can't take too long."

Closing his door, he sat back as June hesitatingly began with her accidental meeting and resulting premonition. She then glossed over her notes and paperwork – explaining the vivid feelings and fears for the man she had bumped into. Having printed the recent news article off the internet, she pointed to McGarrett's photograph.

"He was with this man on Saturday night and he's with Five-O. It was his friend that I bumped into and he's the one in danger. Can we please talk to him so I can explain things? I don't know how else to find his friend again."

Stunned, Duke stood up from his desk. "Danny Williams?" Looking from Loni to June, he made a gut decision and was on the phone seconds later. "Steve, can you please come down to my office right now?"

Unsure of how Steve would react to the young girl and the unorthodox information, he warned them. "The man you bumped into last night - the one that you've so strongly connected with … he's part of Five-O too. His name is Detective Danny Williams." On edge, Duke continued. "He's the one we're looking for – it looks like he was kidnapped late last night."

Steve was in Duke's office just a few minutes later and staring incredulously at the young and very uncomfortable girl. She was fidgeting next to her mother and almost afraid to meet his eyes.

She also seemed vaguely familiar, but Steve couldn't place it right away. "Don't I know you?" he asked.

Interrupting and to save his niece from having to repeat herself, Duke quickly filled Steve in on why June and Loni had come to HPD. Speechless, Steve listened with growing impatience and then indicated to Duke that he needed to speak to him outside the office.

Closing the door, Duke took the brunt of McGarrett's tirade. "Yes I remember bumping into her last night. She said something odd to Danny. But are you kidding me! A psychic, Duke? You brought me down here for a _**psychic**_ and her _**mother**_?"

Having learned from the lab that the blood was indeed Danny's, Steve was upset and very angry as he spoke in a loud gravelly hush. "We don't have time –_** I**_ don't have time to listen to this."

June glanced nervously at her mother as she heard the furious murmur outside the office and knew they weren't welcome. "Can we go please?" June's voice shook as she heard McGarrett's voice continue to rise.

Trying to comfort her daughter, Loni shook her head no. "Trust Uncle. We'll wait." Taking the trembling hand in her own steady one, Loni insisted that they patiently remain in the office until Uncle could help.

Outside his office, Duke was almost as upset. "Steve, I'd normally agree with you. But we have nothing – absolutely nothing." He genuinely liked Danny from his first days transferred in from the mainland. And the crime scene investigation was turning up zero leads. Sighing, he pushed gently. "Just hear them out. It could help in some way. If it were anyone else other than family, I wouldn't have even seen them, let alone called you down here."

Continuing, Duke was puzzled. "And don't you find it odd – the entire circumstance last night? And today, June shows up here? She didn't know either of you and didn't know Danny was missing."

With a dark expression, Steve glared at Duke and then relented slightly. "I'll have Kono come and get them. They can speak to her about all of this." Rubbing already tired eyes, Steve was miserable as he looked into Duke's windowed office at the two women and realized that he didn't have a choice.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

Battling mixed emotions and hoping it wasn't a complete waste of time, Kono sat with June and Loni in her office. Making herself focus on the girl, she did her very best to evaluate what was presented in a serious and objective manner. As Duke had been, Kono of course was very familiar and respected cultural norms. But she was fully sure they had no usefulness in her daily work.

Feeling a need to explain, June was defensive as she introduced herself to Kono. "Listen. I'm not some weird crazy psychic with a colorful hole-in-the-wall shop." And she looked in apology to her mother. Having heard it all before, Loni remained tolerant and almost rolled her eyes.

But standing across from Kono's desk, June was serious as she tried to justify herself. "I have a college degree and a _**real**_ job that I'm actually good at. I don't _**do**_ things like this."

Tapping her desk and spreading June's papers across the open space, Kono nodded with appreciation. The two were about the same age and temperament and were automatically comfortable together. June was also likeable, and so Kono's smile was genuine when she replied. "Alright. I get it. So, let's go over what you have and see what we can find out."

The three reviewed June's findings for over two hours. Taking a break, Kono tried to summarize those things that could be relevant. Obviously, yes Danny had been in danger. And the level of urgency June felt seemed to indicate the "closeness" of that danger and how quickly he had disappeared. And since the blood samples matched Danny, her sense of an injury was valid. But who and why remained a mystery.

Trying to delve into the "where", Kono was frustrated. "So June, you sensed darkness and the ocean."

Nodding, June closed her eyes. "But it was dank and cold …. It smelled bad. Like old, stagnant sea water." Learning to wait, Kono said nothing. "It wasn't fresh like the real ocean and there's no breeze."

Frightened, she opened her eyes. "It's a bad place. Dark. Oppressive. It feels "heavy"." She whispered. "They left him alone … and he's scared."

Kono's stomach churned at the words and she had to pause a minute to collect her thoughts "Yeah. Okay." She softly replied. But then Loni and Kono looked at each other as they came to the same conclusion.

"Sounds like a cave, doesn't it?" Loni said quietly.

"Yeah, it does. Or even an military bunker." But Kono wasn't sure how much any of this would help Danny. If there was any validity to the assumptions, the sheer magnitude of caves and old bunkers on the island was massively overwhelming.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

Disgusted, he prepared the brown package with the Detective's badge, gun and cell phone. Noticing the dried blood on the handle of the gun, he smiled and left it for impact. Having ransacked Williams' entire place, the tape was no where to be found. The detective seemed to have a simple, day to day existence with little personal belongings and there weren't many other places to look.

Unable to find the tape, he was truly offended and it was time now for Stan Edwards to intervene. It was possible that Stan either still had the tape, or he at least knew where Williams had stashed it. And if it was in the 5-O building, then Stan would be forced to find a way to retrieve it for his client.

As he neatly sealed the box with gloved hands, he briefly thought about Williams in the sea cave, but it was Monday morning and he had things to do.

Donning the helmet and expensive sunglasses, he looked the perfect role of a courier as he put the small box in his backpack. Whistling merrily, he mounted the bike and pedaled directly to Stan Edwards' downtown offices. It was early, but the receptionist was already at the front desk and fielding phone calls.

Smiling at the helmeted young man but barely seeing him, she accepted the package and put it on the side for Mr. Edwards. Thanking her, he was out of the complex and back to his small one-room rental in minutes.

Stan got to work about an hour later and took the small box from reception. Looking at it for a moment, he saw that it had no return address and tossed it aside on his desk. Staring blankly out his fifth floor window, he was distracted and thinking about Rachel. Upset about Danny, he had done his best to calm her about his disappearance, but he was worried. In complete denial, Stan refused to believe that it had anything to do with him and Hoffman.

And Grace was oblivious for the time being and he was thankful for that. They had agreed to tell her that Danno had to work at the last minute rather than frighten the child. Unhappy but apparently understanding, Grace had gone upstairs to play quietly in her bedroom.

Sighing, Stan moved away from the window and sat down heavily in the plush leather chair. Grabbing the box, he shook it gently and heard the rattle of a few objects. Using his letter opener, he pried the tape off and lifted the lid.

"Nononono." he said in abject fear, as he saw Danny's belongings and the blood-stained revolver. Not knowing what to do, he picked up the phone and put it down without dialing three times. Unsure if he was being watched or if the phones were tapped, he wanted McGarrett but was unable to make a decision. Leaving his office, he went to the furthest conference room he could find in the building and called Rachel instead.

"Rachel. I need you to see you." Then hesitating, he immediately changed his mind. "No, no. Maybe not." Stan was flustered and pacing the room in total confusion. Hoffman had done it before and he could get to his wife and to Grace easily. And things had now obviously escalated.

"What's wrong? Stan is it Danny?" Rachel was scared as she sensed his fear and could hear the ragged breathing over the phone. Not getting an immediate reply, she decided for him. "I'm coming over now."

Entering the building at a brisk walk, Rachel kept her head down as she only briefly acknowledged the receptionist. Once in her husband's office, she burst into tears as he showed her the box. "Rachel, what should I do? I don't know what to do."

Struggling for control, she stared at Danny's badge, gun and phone and turned her all of her fury on him. "Stan, what did you do? What happened last week when Danny helped you with that so-called '_**misunderstanding'**_? What did he _**do**_ for you?"

Not waiting for an answer, she pulled out her cell phone and ignoring Stan's alarm, dialed Steve directly. In a shaky voice, she demanded that he come to Stan's offices but very discreetly. "Make sure you're alone. Make sure no one sees you. Please Steve, hurry."

Chin looked up as Steve's eyes widened while on the phone. Barely saying a word, he was only listening to whomever was speaking and then cut the connection with a curt. "Okay." Grabbing his keys, he was on his way out the door and Chin had to catch up to him at a jog.

"Steve! Wait! Who was that?"

Without pausing, he kept moving as he answered, "Rachel. Something's up at Stan's office. I need to go alone." Unsure if it were wise, Chin wanted to tag along. But Steve stopped him short and was firm. "No, she was specific. I'll call."

Heeding Rachel's warning, Steve was overly cautious as he drove downtown. Parking four blocks away, he took a winding path to Stan's complex. Pausing and searching constantly, he walked into the underground parking garage and took the freight elevator up to the floor below Stan's offices. Assured that he hadn't been seen or followed, he walked the one flight up and came face to face with Rachel in the hallway.

Surprised to see him coming out of the stairwell, she recovered quickly and took his hand to pull him quickly into her husband's office. Closing and locking the door, she wordlessly pointed to the package on Stan's desk as she once again burst into tears. By this time, Stan was sitting back at his desk and shaking uncontrollably with his head buried in his hands. Without looking up at McGarrett, he was mumbling something about it being his own fault.

A cold, hard fury seized McGarrett when he saw what the small package held and seeing the blood stained gun was more than he could take. Knowing better than to touch the box and its contents, he turned his wrath on Stan. "What did you do, Stan? What?"

Physically pulling the man up and out of his cushioned office chair, McGarrett pushed him roughly up against the wall. "This is about Hoffman and your building permits. What did Danny do for you Stan, and why?"

Pale and sweating profusely, Stan was limp and defenseless in Steve's hands. "I don't know what Danny did exactly." Shaking him by the lapels, Steve refused to stop. "I don't believe you." He demanded in a snarl. "Start at the top before I forget myself entirely."

Wincing as Steve slammed him up against the wall for a second time, Stan tried to relate what had happened. "I taped Hoffman. I tried to frame him over the money he wanted for the permits. That's why he carjacked Rachel and Grace that day – he wanted the tapes back. It's the reason he had our home broken into."

Stuttering, Stan was petrified at the magnitude of what was now taking place. "But Danny said he fixed it. And he must have since I got the permits."

With another violent push, Steve was almost growling. "Where's the tape."

Afraid to tell Steve, he hesitated until his body was rattled painfully into the wall yet again. "Danny. Danny has the tape – he insisted that I give it to him. Hoffman must know that."

Listening, Rachel choked back her sobs. "Danny was with you that day. He picked you up from the airport. This was the _**misunderstanding**_? This?" Sinking into a chair, she was still trying to absorb Stan's words. "I should have listened to Danny - he was right. But I didn't believe him when he said you were involved with something." Rachel was nearly inconsolable. "I thought he was jealous."

Faintly, she asked Steve. "Why did that package come here? Why?"

With a final disgusted and furious shove, Steve was livid as he stalked away from Stan. "Whoever Hoffman hired can't find the tape. It's a threat." Trying to think past his emotions, he addressed Rachel. "You need to get Gracie and get somewhere safe. Get her out of school and check into the hotel like last time. I'll have an officer meet and follow you from here."

Pointing to Stan, he was enraged. "_**You**_, are going to stay with _**me**_ and tell me everything you know. But I have to get this package to the crime lab." Unwilling to touch it but needing to act, Steve considered his options and looked around the office. "I need a clean plastic bag."

Instantly thinking, Rachel got up and pulled the garbage can out from under Stan's desk. "Will this work?" she asked as she carefully removed the clean plastic liner. Nodding appreciatively, Steve almost smiled. "Yes, sure will." Transferring the box and precious contents, Steve neatly had the bundle ready to go.

After contacting HPD, he quickly made arrangements for Rachel's escort. Hugging Steve she could feel his tense energy as she whispered tearfully, "Please find him." And then ignoring her husband, she turned her back on him as he walked away with Steve. "Rachel?" he tried once, but not getting a response, he was soon forced to follow in Steve's wake.

Returning the way he'd entered the complex, Steve aggressively propelled Stan the four blocks to his truck and then into Five-O headquarters. By the time they'd arrived, Steve was nearly out of control and almost unable to check his rage. Chin at first watched in shock and then reacted when he saw that Steve had Stan Edwards by the back of his suit coat and was manhandling him into his office.

Intervening, Chin stepped between the two men. "Steve! What's going on. Why is he here?" Handing the white plastic bag gently to Chin, he didn't at first answer.

And when he did, Chin could see the grief and anguish on Steve's face. "Danny's things. Chin, these are Danny's things." His emotions were barely contained as he gave instructions. "Get the bag to the crime lab. Have them check everything. Check it thoroughly. We need something – anything."

Exhausted from the adrenalin coursing through his body, he ran both hands over his face. "And you'd better get back here quick too." Pointing to the defeated Stan, Steve continued. "I may not be able to control myself around _**him**_."

Glancing up, Stan nearly moaned in fear and remorse. "I'm sorry." He whispered. "I'm so sorry."

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	5. Chapter 5

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

Summary: Post E Malama. Season 1 Episode 16. Housing Commissioner Bruce Hoffman goes after Danny with a vengeance after Danny threatens him over the Stan issue. Hiring professionals to first obtain Stan's tapes which Danny now has and then to dispose of Danny.

**NOTES: my gift to you before my weekend jaunt! I hope you like it and find it fairly believable. Much more will follow sometime next week upon my return. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and my much appreciated THANKS ! **

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

**Chapter Five – Under the Island**

Kono sat in Steve's office and watched him glare accusingly at Stan while they waited for Chin to return from his errand to the crime lab. She had never seen him so dark – he was almost murderous in his expression – and she was uneasy.

Testing the waters, she asked Steve about his interest in her interview with June Pane'e. Obviously distracted and appearing to have the mother of all migraines, he looked blankly at Kono. "Who?"

Nervously tapping her pencil on her knee, she motioned towards her now empty office. "Duke's sister-in-law and niece. It may sound crazy, but June had some decent information that could help."

Sighing heavily, Steve got up from his chair to come around and sit on his desk with his arms folded. "Sure. Why not. I'll take anything right now and god knows, stranger things have happened."

Summarizing the two hour meeting, Kono provided a solid fifteen minute update of the most important and likely factors. Steve nearly choked when she described the possibility of Danny being left or abandoned in a sea cave or bunker. Both were possible, yes but he couldn't wrap his head around the concepts. And if it were true, the size of the task was monumental. He agreed with Kono that so many things "fit" and he had witnessed June's premonition first hand that night.

"June's a regular person, Steve." Genuine in her compliment, Kono simply liked the girl. "She doesn't _**want**_ anything more than to help Danny. She doesn't want money or fame. She's scared herself and frankly, she's a pretty cool person."

"But what do we do with this, Kono?" He was exasperated and simply needed more to act upon. Noticing Chin coming back through the bullpen, Steve was out his office door in seconds. "Well?"

Shaking his head, Chin sadly had nothing new. "They're still running analyses on the box and on each of Danny's personal items. But nothing immediately is showing up."

Squaring his shoulders Chin struggled to keep his composure. "Whoever these guys are, Steve – they're good. They aren't making mistakes."

"And?" Steve prompted softly. "What about the blood on the revolver?" Fearing and then hearing the worst, Steve grimaced and turned away as Chin nodded. "Yeah, they typed it again. And it's Danny's."

Stalking back into his office, Steve was hell-bent on doing something drastic. "We need a game plan."

Pulling Stan to his feet, he announced to the traumatized man. "And _**you**_ sir - are _**it**_."

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

Things happened so fast to Stan Edwards, he literally had no idea what hit him. Trapped by Hoffman and now controlled by an irate Navy SEAL, he had no choice in performing exactly as instructed.

So by eleven in the morning, he was professionally wired by HPD and was being prepped by Steve and his team on how he would meet with Hoffman that very day. Nearly every part of the staged narrative was choreographed and fleshed out. The goals were simple: call Hoffman's bluff using the tape as bait, and flush out where Danny was being held.

Forcing Stan behind his desk, Steve dialed Hoffman's office and handed him the phone. "You're on." Steve crossed his arms and stood over an incredibly wide-eyed and pale Stan. Taking a deep breath as the phone rang on the other end, he managed to do a fair job of demanding to speak to Hoffman immediately. Steve could sense the shock in Stan as Hoffman readily agreed to meeting within the hour.

Pleasantly surprised by the ease of the setup, Steve nodded. "Good. He obviously wants to talk. He doesn't have what he wants." Adding the word "_**yet**_" silently in his mind, Steve forced himself to school his features and beat down his emotions as he, Chin and Kono escorted Stan to his truck. The HPD van was already downtown and parked in place waiting for Stan's transmissions to begin.

Sitting in the front seat, Chin wasn't overly surprised to hear Steve's warning to Stan as he slammed the passenger door. "Don't screw this up."

But as Steve hopped in to drive, Chin whispered softly. "Easy Steve. Scaring him more won't find us Danny any faster." Scowling moodily, Steve didn't reply as he started the truck and drove to towards Hoffman's offices.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

Cramped and exhausted Danny forced himself to drink and eat a portion of an energy bar. And as his ribs protested against his small movements, he closed his eyes and weakly leaned his head back to rest against the rock wall. Every part of his body ached and he was cold to his very core. His bound hands were painful and swollen as the tight plastic cut into his skin.

He heard it first – the change in the cadence of the waves - and his eyes flew open in alarm. The current appeared to be stronger - rushing in and out faster than before. Trying to focus on the cave's entrance, he was shocked to see enormous swells that often obscured the ocean and sunlight beyond.

Wincing, he used his bound hands to push himself up to sit taller and then was sorry when his dull mind realized what was happening. Frantically he scanned the walls and ceiling of the cave for watermarks but couldn't see anything in the wet, murky darkness.

"How high? How high?" he muttered in fear as he was peppered with the fine spray from powerful waves crashing just below his rocky ledge.

With nowhere to go, Danny could only sit in horror as white water roiled below him and licked at the ledge. If he was swept off the ledge, he'd drown in his weakened state. With bound hands, he certainly wouldn't have a chance.

Turning sideways to duck away from some of the cold spray, he raised his bound hands to tug the small and now soaked blanket up over his head. Clinging to a small outcropping, he was truly petrified as he prayed for the tide to go back out. "Please stop. Just stop."

Danny moaned in fear as a particularly large wave hit just below the ledge and he was soaked through from the heavy spray that showered the entire ledge. "Steve. _**Steve**_."

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

Sitting in the back of the Silverado, Kono's cell phone rang. Not recognizing the number, she answered professionally and was surprised to hear June's hysterical voice.

"Kono! It's the tide. The tide's coming in. The waves are so very high – there's no daylight anymore. He has nowhere to go." Practically screaming into the phone, June was positive. "It's going to take him off the ledge. Kono, he's going to drown!"

"Whoa, June! Wait – slow down!" Ignoring the strange looks from Chin and Steve, Kono whipped out her notebook and started writing furiously. "Okay, good. No - definitely - _**please**_."

Ending the call, Kono filled them in and then checked her watch. "Steve, the north shore tide is coming in now. Surf warnings were posted this morning." Old habits died hard and Kono checked surf reports daily. It fit with June's terrified message.

"We can't be two places at once, Kono. We need to stick to the plan." Steve was frustrated and torn. "And how many caves are there on the north side?" Muttering to himself, Steve was desperate. "Probably thousands."

Shaking her head furiously, Kono disagreed. "No, no, no. Only a few are viable if June's right. She's describing a fairly large cave that's deep and has ledges. Chin, remember when we were kids and we dared each other on the Waverunners? Remember _**that**_ cave? It's big enough and it's been off limits for years since that couple drowned when their inflatable capsized and they got stuck."

Quiet, Chin considered it. "Yeah, I remember. They got stuck as the tide came in and no one could get them out in time. But it could be a wild goose chase too."

Waving them off for a moment, Steve parked the truck and notified HPD that they'd arrived. Turning to Stan, his eyes were pleading. "You _**have**_ to do this. We're only getting one shot and you have to do it right. Absolutely no mistakes, Stan."

Nodding, Stan swore he was ready. "I'll do it. I can do this."

"You'd better, brah." Kono warned him as he left the truck and started the two block walk to Hoffman's office.

Once Stan left, Kono continued to push on her idea. "Chin or I can stay with HPD. Steve, it's _**so close.**_ Take the truck and get to the marina. If Stan pulls this off - maybe you'll already be where Danny _**is**_. We might wind up in the right place. It's worth a shot."

Shrugging, Chin agreed. "Kono has the relationship with June and if she calls again, Kono should be with you to relay information. I'll stay." Thinking it more and more a sound option, Chin voiced his opinion with more confidence. "Yeah. Yeah. For Danny's sake, I think we should take the chance."

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

Commandeering a small speedboat, Steve followed Kono's directions to the primary sea cave. The small boat bobbed crazily in the water from the fierce tidal waters. Unperturbed, they scanned the cliff face and watched as large swells were swallowed into what looked like a bottomless black hole.

Pointing, Kono showed Steve. "That's the one."

Impressed, he watched the massive waves and force of the water. "You played in _**that**_ as a kid?"

"Yup. But it's totally different at low tide. This, _**this**_ is brutal."

Instead of waiting for Chin's call, Steve had pulled all his gear out of the truck. With an easy hour to spare, he had time for recon while Stan had his "meeting" with Hoffman. While he changed quickly into scuba gear, Steve surveyed and analyzed the waves, the movement of the water and tried to estimate rocky hazards.

A little fearful for him, Kono touched his arm. "You can do this?"

Fully suited up and with a half smile, he gave her a thumbs-up. "Piece 'o cake. No worries."

Ensuring he had a sat-phone, medical supplies and enough weaponry to take down a nation in his waterproof bag, he slipped into the rough seas. Easing the speed boat back to escape the roughest of the waters, Kono looked at her watch and scrutinized the horizon for new boaters.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

Steve was in his element the moment the water closed over his head. Sinking down, he let the water rock him as he went even deeper to escape the more violent waves on the surface. Turning on his head lamp, he could see about fifteen feet in front of him as the water churned up debris and the sandy bottom.

Carefully and steadily he began his methodical swim into the sea cave. Staying as deep as possible, he compromised with swimming and with being taken by the tide to conserve energy.

Playing with the water, he manipulated its natural power to get to his final destination.

Slowly popping up in a large cavern, he had to sink again as a large swell swept in from the caves' mouth. But quickly coming back up, he used the powerful lamp to survey the caverns walls and ceiling. Squinting through his mask, he thought he saw an elevated shape in the farthest reaches of the cave.

Having to sink yet again to time the swells, he slowly allowed the tide to sweep him towards the back of the impressive sea cave. As he popped up again and directly under the shelf, he swore in stunned shock. "Danny? Danny!"

But glancing over his shoulder, he had to go under yet again as a large swell entered the cave and hammered the back of the shelf wall. Counting in his head he timed it perfectly to heave himself up in one motion onto the ledge and directly next to his shell-shocked friend.

Stripping off his mask, regulator and gloves, Steve at first didn't know what to do. Danny was sitting in a near fetal position with his back to Steve. With his face partly hidden by the blanket, Steve could only see the shudders that ran through Danny's body as he desperately gripped a small rock with bound hands that were bruised and bleeding.

Cursing, Steve pulled his knife out and slowly put a gentle hand on Danny's cold and rigid shoulder. "My god." He whispered as he felt the tremors through the thin blanket.

"Danny? Can you hear me?" Not getting a response, Steve carefully leaned forward and cut the zip-ties from Danny's swollen and bleeding wrists. Once cut, his hands fell free from the rock and he slipped backwards to fall into Steve's chest.

Adjusting his body to catch and then shield him from the vicious spray, Steve allowed Danny's limp form to rest against his chest. Tapping his cheeks, Steve tried again to get Danny to respond. "Danny, come on. _**Danny**_."

Fraught with worry, Steve was forced to lay Danny flat on his back for triage. Noticing the old duffle, he quickly and disgustedly rifled through it to see what it held. Enraged as he pulled out the useless flashlight and small supply of water and power bars, he balled up the material and used it as a pillow under Danny's head.

Checking the head wound first, the bleeding had stopped long ago, but it was obvious that Danny had a concussion. The discolored bruising ran from Danny's left temple and down to the top of his check.

Running his hands tenderly and slowly over his body, he found the fractured ribs also on the left, but thankfully no other obvious broken bones. With his clothes completely soaked, Danny's skin was cold to the touch and he was shocky. Unable to do more than bandage the small cut on his head and doctor his torn wrists, Steve was almost at a loss. Shifting, he sat up against the wall and pulled Danny gingerly up against his chest. Going through his arsenal of supplies, he pulled out a large plastic sheet and draped it entirely over Danny's prone body. Though it shielded Danny from additional cold sea water, Steve was fearful of hypothermia and for that, he was unprepared.

Hearing a muffled moan, he peeked under the tented plastic to look at Danny's face that was twisted in pain. Renewing his efforts, Steve tried again to rouse him and was finally rewarded with confused pale blue eyes. "Danny? Hey, buddy."

Frowning, Danny stared at Steve wordlessly. As a large swell crashed into the ledge, Danny visibly flinched and weakly tried to curl into Steve in fear. Holding him firmly, Steve shushed and rubbed Danny's cold arms as strong tremors wracked his frame. "It's okay. It's okay."

Keeping one hand firmly planted on Danny's back, he pulled out the sat-phone with one hand to contact Kono. "Boss." Came the muffled and relieved welcome. "I was getting worried. Anything?"

"Yeah, Kono. He's here, I got him." Kono was stunned. "What? Say again?"

"Got him. But he's bad off. Can't move him." Steve now faced a new challenge as he looked at the churning violence within the cave and then down at his nearly shattered partner. "Kono, I got him. But I can't get him out!"

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	6. Chapter 6

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

Summary: Post E Malama. Season 1 Episode 16. Housing Commissioner Bruce Hoffman goes after Danny with a vengeance after Danny threatens him over the Stan issue. Hiring professionals to first obtain Stan's tapes which Danny now has and then to dispose of Danny.

**NOTES: back from the festival – way too much fun! But I missed you all and hope you like this next chapter. Again, it's all fiction so have fun reading this story. The muse couldn't yet get Danny out of the cave, but SOON! **

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

**Chapter Six – Under the Island**

Stan Edwards was sweating and fighting down his panic when he entered Hoffman's large office complex and he was perpetually reciting and rehashing 5-0's script. It wasn't as if he wanted anything to happen to Danny, but Stan was neither a brave nor a complicated man. It also didn't matter that that HPD and 5-0 were supporting him on the outside - for Stan Edwards was not actually their priority.

And he of course was familiar with bad and unethical businessmen like Hoffman, but had traditionally steered clear of dealings in that vein. However, the size of his Hawaiian deal had been such an enticement; Stan simply thought he'd be able to put one over on Hoffman to avoid the bribery. But misjudging the depth of Hoffman's connections and penchant for comeuppance were Stan's fatal flaws. He had definitely screwed up.

Adjusting his tie uneasily, he stopped at main reception to announce himself and was ushered without wait into the executive's office. Expecting him to be alone, Stan was surprised to see a slender and very neatly dressed younger man standing slightly behind Hoffman as he sat at his large teak desk.

"Who's this?" Stan demanded tensely, as he attempted to smoothly recover and appear confident.

Smirking, Hoffman was intentionally vague. "An associate."

Concerned about the addition of the unknown man, Stan hesitated in confusion. "I thought this would be a private meeting." Not getting a response from either man, Stan's nervousness grew tenfold and it took all of his efforts to appear nonchalant. Forcing himself to sit casually in the chair across from Hoffman, he took a small envelope out of his jacket pocket and slid it across the desk.

"Here's your tape."

Greedily, Hoffman's eyes lit up as he took the envelope, opened it and saw the small tape. "I see you received our earlier gift. Very wise of you to come right over with the tape. Very wise, indeed."

As prepared by HPD and 5-0, Stan put on what he prayed looked like a convincing smile. He just hoped the performance was believable to Hoffman and he was finding it nearly impossible to continue his act with the unknown man standing silent vigil.

Pushing himself to continue, Stan took a breath and did his best to sound assertive. "Before you get too excited. That's a copy - I'm not _entirely_ stupid. The original tape will be released to the Governor and to the 5-0 Task Force by two this afternoon."

Pausing briefly, Stan shifted in the chair and then leaned forward with an assured and stern bearing. "I want Williams released – unharmed. Immediately."

Rising from his desk in anger, Hoffman glared at Stan as he didn't mince his words and wasn't careful. "I won't be threatened and I won't be badgered. That was Williams' mistake. And my associate would be more than willing to repeat the same lesson for you." And Hoffman indicated the silent younger man.

Continuing, Stan did his best to hide his shaking hands and to avoid the fierce and cold stare from the second man who stood relaxed and arrogantly near Hoffman.

"You _**do**_ know that Danny Williams is part of the 5-0 Task Force …?" And Stan didn't finish as he let the words sink into Hoffman's brain. He felt some small satisfaction when Hoffman appeared to be momentarily unsettled and the second man seemed to stand taller.

"I would think that you'd want him alive and well based on that fact. But if not, the Governor will find the tape - let's just say, _intriguing_. It will be delivered sooner and another copy released to the media if something were to happen to let's say me – or to anyone in my family."

Eyes narrowing and sensing a trap, the younger man abruptly got up and came around the desk to confront Stan. "Really? Do you honestly think that would happen?" Fearful, Stan stumbled to his feet in the face of the assassin who had suddenly become leery and dangerous. "You're wired." he stated bluntly, as he took in Stan's sweated brow and trembling hands.

Stammering a reply, Stan denied it as he put his chair between himself and the hired assassin in a futile attempt to protect himself. "No. No of course not. No!"

Turning towards a shocked Hoffman who had no time to react, the assassin gave him an odd salute and swiftly left the offices without another word. Moving silently and quickly, he easily beat Chin and HPD within moments of their charge through the office doors. With time to spare, he was well away from the corporate offices by the time Hoffman was cuffed and read his rights.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

Steve sat quietly on the ledge with Danny resting against his upper body, and was anything but calm. He continued to feel the cold tremors that pulsed through Danny's body and he vainly tried to warm him by rubbing his arms and back. He knew that he'd allow his rage to go unchecked once he got his hands on Hoffman and his hired help.

"What are we going to do?" he said as he defiantly stared at the violent waters. Steve hadn't fully considered what he'd do if he found Danny during his short recon. He hadn't allowed himself to fully believe that June Pane'e could have been so correct in her odd premonitions. And Steve vowed that he'd apologize immediately to the young woman once Danny was safely out of the cave.

"Stupid, McGarrett. Real stupid." He shook his head in frustration at the magnitude of his dilemma. Estimating the time, Danny had been injured and exposed to the harsh conditions going on thirty-six hours. Steve desperately needed to get him out of the cave and hospitalized sooner rather than later.

To that end, he had Kono busily checking weather and tidal reports for any open window of opportunity, but so far she hadn't been able to figure anything out that would be safe or efficient. Trusting her to identify the best options, he was impatiently awaiting news from her research. This included her work with a number of professionals on land that were currently considering a variety of rescue methods. Organized help would be assembled based on their combined efforts.

Kono had also advised Chin and HPD of Danny's location and status. Obviously they had no way to advise Stan, but they wouldn't have done so if even possible. Hoffman's admission in the office had been duly received and recorded for posterity. Their concern now was to get Edwards safely out so that Hoffman and the new and as yet, unnamed individual could be arrested. Knowing that Danny was now found, Chin was hastily mobilizing a small team to enter the offices within seconds of the confession.

The sound of the sea crashing in the cave was as deafening as it was relentless. Steve poked his head under the tented plastic as Danny moaned in pain and moved weakly when a particularly large swell crashed into the bottom of the ledge peppering the plastic sheet loudly with spray.

"It's okay. Easy. We'll get you out of here." Steve soothed, and then to himself added softly. "It's just _how_?" Looking at his watch, he frowned at the time and muttered. "Come on, Kono. Give me something to work with."

Shifting carefully, Steve tried to get a better look at Danny's pale face and was surprised to see that his eyes were now open. Smiling broadly, Steve was briefly relieved until he realized that Danny didn't seem to recognize him or believe that he was truly there. In fact, Danny was quietly studying his face with uncertainty.

With apprehension on the rise, Steve continued to reassure him. "Yeah. Danny, it's me. I'm here okay?"

Battling fatigue and pain, Danny could feel a steady rise and fall under his shoulders which definitely felt better than the hard rocky ledge. And he was slightly warmer, however he was confused by the white plastic sheeting. Trying to raise his hand to touch it, he frowned and let his hand drop back down to his chest before it got halfway there. Flicking back to Steve's troubled face, he scrutinized him again – _yes, it was really Steve and he was very worried._

"Steve. How?" He whispered. "Steve?" Wetting his dry lips, Danny's frown deepened as he tried to focus on the blurry shape of his friend.

Nodding and continuing to rub Danny's cold arms, Steve smiled as he tried to keep him comfortable. "You bet. Took some time, but we found you. I'm here and Kono's working on getting us out." Looking at the glazed and dull eyes, Steve was still very worried as he gently asked. "You've got quite a knock on your head. How are you feeling?"

But mute again, Danny didn't immediately respond as he continued to gaze up at him with an unfocused expression. Becoming alarmed about his lack of responsiveness, Steve could see that Danny was still very confused and fading in and out of consciousness. Giving a gentle nudge, his sense of unease grew about the seriousness of Danny's head injury and the real potential for hypothermia. "Hey. Did you hear me? Can you tell me how you feel?"

Tracking Steve with weary eyes, Danny finally nodded slowly. "Yeah." He whispered. "Hurts. Cold." Closing his eyes briefly, he was exhausted and a dead-weight in Steve's arms. "Tired." He murmured.

Steve's face was pinched in worry at the muffled and very brief words which were so unlike his friend's usual expressive banter. "Okay. We're going to get you home. I need you to hold on for me just a little longer, Danny. Save your strength."

But grimacing, Danny seemed insistent upon asking a particular question and tried to repeat himself. "Why?" he continued to whisper. And Steve could barely make the words out. "Why … here?"

Misunderstanding, Steve was again disturbed by Danny's muddled question. "What do you mean 'why'? Danny, we came for you." And then almost upset, he continued softly. "You didn't think we wouldn't find you, right?" Sighing, Steve was sincere as he looked closely at Danny. "Because we never stopped looking. I promise it's going to be alright."

Breathing in short, shallow breaths, Danny closed his eyes from the pain in his head and fractured ribs. He was dizzy and couldn't think clearly, and his swollen and cold hands ached as they rested gently on his stomach. Exhausted and drained, he forced himself to ask the question he needed to know the answer to.

Distressed at his increased lack of strength and continued tremors, Steve was not successful in shushing and calming him. "Shhh. Danny. Not now." As Danny coughed slightly and panted shallowly through the pain, Steve continued to softly reprimand. "Damn it. Danno, you can ask me later. _Rest_."

When he finally looked at Steve again, his eyes were groggy and unfocused as he faintly breathed out. "No." he whispered in a low voice as he refused to listen. "No. Steve. Why am I here? _Who_?" The effort clearly taking most of his fading energy, he briefly closed his eyes and tried to take a deeper breath but he hitched as pain flared in his side. "_Who_ – who did this to me?"

Finally understanding, Steve was stunned at the question. "You don't know? I .. I didn't think .. I didn't know… ." With his anger on the rise, Steve hadn't fully realized how truly abruptly or forcibly Danny had been attacked and how callously he had been deserted in the sea cave. "Danny, do you know what happened at all?"

Finding Steve's arm, Danny weakly clutched it with one swollen hand and shook his head. "No. Too fast. Never saw .. Steve. _Why_?" And his eyes closed as the whisper trailed off and he lost his battle again to stay conscious.

In unconcealed rage, Steve was emotional as Danny once again lay motionless on the rock ledge. "Hoffman." Steve spoke loudly to the sea. And with growing certainty about Hoffman and those hired, Steve nodded as he looked at Danny's wan face and made a promise. "Whoever did this - I _**will**_ kill them."

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	7. Chapter 7

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

Summary: Post E Malama. Season 1 Episode 16. Housing Commissioner Bruce Hoffman goes after Danny with a vengeance after Danny threatens him over the Stan issue. Hiring professionals to first obtain Stan's tapes which Danny now has and then to dispose of Danny.

**NOTES: Okay – more bad guy stuff to follow. It was more than time to get Danny out of that darned cave!**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

**Chapter Seven – Under the Island**

Kono shielded her eyes from the sun as she watched the Waverunner and an HPD vessel approaching quickly from the direction of the marina. Frank Porter, a retired lifeguard had quickly volunteered to enter the cave by jet ski in what would be a hair-raising rescue. With low tide too many hours away, everyone agreed that this would be the only possible chance of getting Danny out of the sea cave.

Idling near Kono, Frank greeted her as he watched the entrance and conditions in front of the formidable hole. The Waverunner was powerful with a rescue board off the back.

"Should be fun." Frank remarked dryly. In his long career, he had been involved in similar rescues and was well aware of how quickly things could go wrong. It was all about timing, reading the water, as well as a great deal of very good luck. In retirement, he was fit and tanned and was a highly respected guest speaker and safety instructor in the professional lifeguard community.

A brief and flat smile flashed across Kono's stressed face as she contacted Steve. "Hey, we've got a Waverunner coming in to pick you up. It's the only way." Looking to Frank, she filled him in on Danny's condition and what Steve had described in the cave.

"He's semi-conscious and not mobile. Steve is going to have to get him off a rock ledge and into the water for pickup. The ledge is straight through the back and there seems to be another egress on the far side. But it looks just as rough and may be even more narrow."

Nodding, Frank was familiar with the seacave. "Yup. Been in here numerous times at low tide. Just once as a stupid kid at high and barely got out. But it's do-able. I'll get it done." Serious about the details, Frank questioned Steve's ability to get Danny on the rescue board. "If it's that rough in there, can he manage our victim? We're not going to have time to make this pretty."

As she tied the smaller motor boat off to the HPD vessel, Kono wasn't sure. "I could go with you as a third set of hands." Kicking off her shoes and grabbing two life vests, she was over the side of the boat and seated behind Frank before he could object.

As she put one vest on, she held the second up in the air. "Steve will need one of these for Danny anyway. Ready when you are." With no time for argument, Frank filled her in on his plans.

"Winds are high near the cliff face and the current is strong as you can see. If we should get swamped and roll, get back to the ski and ride it out." Hesitating, Frank looked at Kono briefly. "I can't afford to rescue two. You better be ready for this and do exactly as I say."

Almost grinning with the challenge, Kono was fierce. "Not a problem. Let's do this."

As soon as Kono gave Steve the heads-up, he began to mobilize in the cave. Gently laying Danny prone, he re-suited and then tried to rouse his friend. With a grim face, Steve wasn't pleased about having to subject Danny to the ocean's cold waters. He was positive that Danny was suffering from hypothermia and the added stress would completely sap any warmth left in his body.

As he balled up the plastic and shoved it into his pack, he included the dingy duffle and its flimsy contents. Now exposed again to the cold spray, Danny winced unconsciously and mumbled in complaint. Sitting him up carefully with his right arm under and across Danny's chest, Steve angled them both towards the rough waters. He planned to wait as long as possible before sliding them both off the ledge, but looking down he scowled at the distance.

While not far, he didn't want to fully dunk Danny. However, he wasn't sure he'd be able to stop their descent and protect them both from the jagged rocks at the same time. He would need to use his body as a shield against the incoming swells and use his legs to brace against the rocks to avoid getting battered.

Concerned about the mechanics of how to manage, Steve continued to try and revive him enough so Danny could understand what would be happening. "Danny. We gotta go. We have to get in the water. Help's here."

In the distance, Steve could faintly here the sounds of the approaching jet ski and renewed his efforts at waking his friend. But as he succeeded, he was caught off guard by Danny's sudden jerk and panicked refusal.

"Whoa whoa - Danny!" As Steve almost lost his balance and pitched backwards towards the water. "Easy!"

In a stupor, Danny could only see that he was alarmingly closer to the edge and that someone was dragging him into the rough seas. Mumbling and trying to weakly escape, Danny was desperate as his heart hammered in his chest. "No." he whispered as he tried to claw at the strong arm that was around his chest. "Stop."

As the Waverunner entered the cave, Steve took a brief moment to register that it had been timed perfectly and that two people were on the ski. But he was now struggling with his friend and losing precious time.

"Danny, it's me. Come on. Help me out here." But Danny wasn't having any part of it as he continued to put up a fight. Needing both hands to control him, Steve didn't think he'd be able to get them both safely off the rocky ledge.

As Frank pulled near, he shouted over the rough surf. "Let's go – get him in the water and we'll swing by. We have one shot at this." Kono peered around Frank's back and screwed up her face as she realized what has happening.

"Frank, one of us needs to help him. Steve can't get him into the water for pickup." Groaning at the added complication, Frank agreed. "You want in or can you drive this thing?" Eyeing the drop from the ledge and the violent waters, she opted to drive the ski. "You can help Steve better I think." She shouted back.

Switching places, Frank positioned himself towards the back of the ski. "Bring it just a little closer so I can get to the ledge then. You'll have to jockey it back and forth with the swells to stay away from the walls in here. And don't run us over." Trusting the smaller woman, he smiled encouragingly at Kono. "You've got guts to spare, don't you?"

Shrugging, she held on grimly as she skillfully piloted the ski. "Either that or plain stupid, I guess."

Snorting, Frank had her hold up as he took the spare vest and waited to time a swell as he entered the water. Within minutes he was at the ledge and clambering up the slippery rocks. Moving quickly, he and Steve got the vest on Danny and they went over his injuries and best method to get him on the rescue board.

Steve was surprised but also relieved to see Kono and he gave her a quick nod of acknowledgement as he went back to calming Danny. Breathless and panting, Danny's eyes were closed as he continued to pathetically put up a fight. "Steve. Can't."

Leaning close, Steve got directly into his face and whispered harshly. "You _can_ and you _have to_. Danny trust me. We have to get out of here _now_."

Pushing down his emotions as he ignored Danny's fading pleas, Steve looked at Frank. "Ready. Let's get him out of here."

Reading the water, Frank carefully took Danny's legs as Steve continued to support his upper body. No longer struggling, Danny was panting hard and Steve could feel his uneven breaths shuddering through his arm. "Trust me. We have you, D. You can do this."

It was much easier with two men to get Danny into the waters and then protected as best as possible from the swells and dangerous rocks. Following Frank's instructions, Kono backed up to bring the rescue board as close as possible. Heaving Danny carefully up, Steve briefly went under with the motion but Frank cushioned Danny's head and body to bring him safely into the board's center.

Kicking hard out of the water, Steve landed on his side and cocooned Danny's body neatly into his chest. With one hand gripping the handle, Steve's left hand and arm firmly anchored Danny to the board. Frank quickly followed suit to face Steve on the other side. In seconds, Danny was between the two men and held in place by two sets of strong and determined hands. Looking at Kono, Frank indicated that they were ready.

Timing the strong rise and fall of the currents, Frank waited patiently as Kono slowly maneuvered as close to the entrance as possible. "On the up swell, you need to be moving forward so we catch the out-flow to avoid the roof. As soon as we're out, cut to the left sharply and get out of the tidal current. Don't hesitate!"

Nodding as she concentrated, Kono waited and hit it the same time as Frank yelled "Go, go, go!"

Allowing the two to manage the rescue, Steve kept his head down and near Danny's ear. "You can do this Danny. Almost there." Pale and strength ebbing, Danny barely nodded as he gripped Steve's arm convulsively.

As they finally exited the cave, Danny kept his eyes tightly closed as the bright sunlight hit his face. The sudden warmth was also a shock to his deprived system but the jouncing of the jet ski hurt his head and ribs badly. Breathing erratically, he tried to focus on Steve's calming voice.

Kono looked over her shoulder to reassure herself that the three were still on the board and she smiled in total relief. Frank grinned back and then flashed a genuine smile of approval. "Perfect. Couldn't have done it better myself!"

Jetting slowly around to the back of the police boat, waiting arms gently eased Danny from the jet ski and to a backboard. Wet clothes were cut away briskly as he was completely covered in dry blankets.

Steve clambered aboard to kneel next to him and was fearful of what he could now see more of in natural sunlight. Asking for another blanket, Steve gently laid it over Danny's body.

"You're going to be okay. It's over." He muttered quietly. Smoothing back wet hair from Danny's forehead Steve's anger returned. What was pale in the cave was shockingly white, the bruises to his temple and cheek stood out in stark comparison and Danny's lips held a bluish tinge. Tight-lipped, Steve controlled himself by trying to keep Danny focused and awake. But he could tell that Danny was in shock and losing the battle.

Exhausted and beyond relief now that he could feel the sun, Danny struggled to focus on the hectic activity around him. Steve seemed to want him to stay awake and he valiantly tried to make the effort. But there was a persistent buzzing in his ears and spots danced in front of his eyes. Watching Steve's mouth move, he couldn't actually hear the words as he slipped into darkness.

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	8. Chapter 8

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

Summary: Post E Malama. Season 1 Episode 16. Housing Commissioner Bruce Hoffman goes after Danny with a vengeance after Danny threatens him over the Stan issue. Hiring professionals to first obtain Stan's tapes which Danny now has and then to dispose of Danny.

**Thank you again and again for the great feedback. I'm so happy you are enjoying the story. **

**A short snippet to introduce our main bad guy.**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

**Chapter Eight – Under the Island**

Deftly swapping places again with Frank, Kono was soon on the small speed boat collecting originally discarded shoes and dry clothes before joining the HPD crew. To save time, an officer untied the two boats so the HPD vessel could return to the marina as quickly as possible. That same officer would take the borrowed speed boat back to its owner.

An ambulance was already waiting to shuttle Danny to Queens Medical. Handing Steve his clothes, Kono was slightly damp and uncomfortable but ignoring it to get shoes back on her feet before they docked.

"Here, Steve." She stuck his shirt and other items under his nose as he knelt by Danny's head. "Wow ..Danny." she breathed out softly as she looked at Danny's lax face. "He's so pale." Kono gently smoothed his hair back from the nasty bruise that extended along his check and hairline. "What did they hit him with?" She asked worriedly.

Glancing in her direction, Steve rose to his feet as the boat smoothly cut through the water on it's rapid return to the marina. His face was hard and lined with anger as he shook his head. "Don't know." He curtly replied as he turned to go below deck. Ripping off his gear and wet suit, Steve dressed quickly and rejoined Kono as the boat docked.

Preoccupied and distant, Steve silently moved along with the EMT's as they transferred Danny to the ambulance. Stress was evident in his posture as he briskly kept up with the small group and the gurney.

Keys already in hand, Kono stowed Steve's gear back in his truck and also threw the small duffle with it's meager contents in the back seat. She'd leave it off later at the lab for a complete evaluation. Hitting the lights, she followed the ambulance and made calls the entire way to the hospital. First reaching Chin, she let him know that they were now en-route to Queens Medical. Relieved that Danny's rescue went fairly well, Chin grew extremely concerned as he listened to Kono's hesitant description of Danny's condition.

He could tell by her soft voice that she was extremely worried and upset. "It's hard to say, Chin. He's been in that damn cave for thirty-six to forty hours. Steve's worried about hypothermia besides the obvious injuries."

On edge with the news, Chin promised to be over to the hospital as soon as he could work through the Hoffman situation. Updating her in kind, Chin confirmed that Hoffman was now in custody and that a second suspect and likely the man who attacked Danny had escaped the office complex. He had plans to take Stan back to HQ after he setup the crime scene unit to thoroughly search and also dust the office for prints. Duke was processing Hoffman personally and ensuring that every 'I' was dotted and that every 'T' was crossed.

After speaking to her cousin, Kono then contacted June Pane'e to tell her the good news and to thank her profusely for her unmitigated and selfless help. The sharp intake of breath and girl's relief was evident and Kono finally smiled as she described Danny's rescue.

"It was incredible, June. We can't thank you enough for being so brave. We wouldn't have found him without your help." Smiling more broadly, Kono nodded as she ended the call. "Yes, yes. I'm sure Danny would love to meet you when he's feeling better."

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

Stan Edwards was sitting with his head once again buried in his hands in Hoffman's reception area as HPD swarmed the offices. Leaning back, he looked at his hands as adrenalin wore off and they shook almost uncontrollably. He had never been so relieved to see the police as when Chin and the small unit burst through the office doors.

Confused though by the sudden interruption, he still hadn't been brought up to speed on the fact that Danny had been found and he was slightly worried that he'd done something wrong. But in reality, Hoffman's verbal confession was enough then for Chin to intervene.

Stan rose unsteadily as Chin beckoned him over to leave. "We're borrowing a squad car to go back to HQ. You're going to meet with a sketch artist to draw up a composite. We need a full description on this second guy and then we'll get the books out to try and ID him." Thumbing the air over his shoulder, Chin added. "Maybe they'll turn up a print that will help too."

Mentally exhausted, Stan willingly followed along behind Chin without a word. But unbeknownst to either man or to HPD, Philippe Rousseau their currently unidentified hitman, had already returned to the complex. Patiently waiting in an elevated, vacant portion of the office building that was across from the main entrance, Rousseau set the sights of his sniper rifle at the front door. It wasn't the best vantage point as the door was partially obscured by a large banyan tree. However, it was optimal in terms of an easy and seamless getaway.

Cursing Hoffman's stupidity, he needed to terminate Stan Edwards as a potential witness. Even though Rousseau hadn't actually said anything particularly incriminating, it was obvious by Hoffman's words that he was directly responsible for Williams' disappearance.

And while the plan had always included an end to Edwards' existence, he was now Rousseau's liability too. So unmoving, he waited and was finally able to see Edwards' tall shape moving towards the entrance. And as Stan left the building just a few feet behind Chin, Rousseau fired one shot without hesitation and saw his target stumble and then fall to his knees. Packing his rifle with a practiced ease, he was well on his way off the property for a second time that day and before anyone had realized what had happened.

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	9. Chapter 9

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

Summary: Post E Malama. Season 1 Episode 16. Housing Commissioner Bruce Hoffman goes after Danny with a vengeance after Danny threatens him over the Stan issue. Hiring professionals to first obtain Stan's tapes which Danny now has and then to dispose of Danny.

**NOTE: how many want Danny and Stan in the same room? Raise your hands? _What_ no one – no takers at all? LOL! **

**I just had to ask since SO many asked for _Steve_ and _Danny_ in the same room during my last story (hahahaha – silly moment!). Ain't gonna happen folks! No worries. **

**Plus I probably will never bring myself to kill off a character – so hint hint – Stan will eventually be okay. But he's sure in trouble.**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

**Chapter Nine – Under the Island**

Steve sat moodily with his eyes closed as he rested his forehead on his folded knuckles and listened quietly as the EMT's continued their evaluation and various emergency treatments. His body rocked in time to the rapidly moving ambulance as it raced through the busy streets and on to its final destination. His partially hidden face darkened considerably when Danny's temperature reading came back at ninety-two point three – below ninety-five, Danny was definitely hypothermic. Shivering and unconscious, his breaths were shallow and rapid as efforts were made to warm his core temperature.

The bulk of the blankets were distributed over Danny's abdomen and torso. Chemical heat packs were brought out and strategically placed under his armpits, groin and on top of the blankets across his chest. Additional blankets were folded around his neck and head to prevent more heat loss.

He could hear Danny griping in his head and he almost smirked to himself. "_Who the hell gets __**hypothermia**__ in Hawaii, Steven? It's a damned __**tropical**__ island!"_

But leaning back in his seat, Steve chose to grimace instead at Danny's still very pale face and wanted to know about the severity of the head injury. Whatever Danny had been belted with was nearest his temple and the purplish bruising extended from his hairline and down into his cheekbone. Stopping just shy of actually touching the deeply colored bruise on Danny's cheek, Steve gestured towards the injury. "What are your thoughts on this?" he asked quietly.

Without looking up from where he was inserting an IV line for fluids, the technician confirmed a concussion. "Well for one, he has a bad concussion and possibly a hairline fracture to his cheekbone." Gently palpating the area, he continued. "It looks like it was a pretty hard blow – it was very focused too. Some sort of blunt force trauma. They'll need to do a CT scan to rule out internal bleeding."

Moving the blankets, the technician continued his exam to focus on Danny's bruised hands and wrists. "These must hurt." The tech remarked as the gently probed Danny's swollen and bruised fingers and hands.

"Zip ties." Steve muttered harshly. "They made sure he couldn't move too much."

Glancing up at Steve in surprise, the EMT clucked in sympathy. "Like he'd be going anywhere in a cave? Brilliant." Sighing, he put Danny's hands gently down on the gurney and covered them again with the blanket. "Well, they were certainly tight and his hands are going to be painful as they warm up too." Moving then across Danny's abdomen and ribcage, he continued his inspection of the other bruised areas. "And at least two fractured ribs as well. Has he complained about breathing problems? Coughing?"

Shaking his head, Steve was sullen. "No, not complaining about breathing per se. More that he was very uncomfortable and he's been in obvious pain around his rib area. He felt a little better sitting up. An occasional cough, but not bad." Steve was worried as he considered the past many minutes and the haste of the rescue. "He did get jostled pretty good on the jet ski. And after, he seemed to be in more pain once we got him out of there. Then Danny lost consciousness right after we transferred him to the HPD boat."

Patting the blankets back into place, the technician tried unsuccessfully to alleviate some of Steve's newest concerns. "Well, he's not having too much trouble right now, so I'd say that was probably the stress of the actual rescue. Starting now, we need to minimize his movement and he needs to stay quiet." Sitting back across from Steve, he rested one hand on Danny's blanketed chest. As the ambulance drove aggressively, he summarized his opinions. "I'd say the main issues are going to be the hypothermia and this head injury. But he's going to be in good hands."

"Yeah, I know." Steve muttered to himself, but couldn't hide the low rumblings of irritation in his voice. Rising, he was ready as they arrived at the emergency entrance and helped the team move the gurney to an available trauma room. And then as expected, Steve was gently but very firmly asked to wait outside.

Running both hands through hair that was still wet and now sticking up messily in many directions, Steve was left standing resentfully in the corridor as he watched the trauma room doors close in his face.

Now that Danny was safe and being cared for, Steve heaved a huge sigh of relief and allowed himself to just slightly relax. But with his anger still perking below the surface, Steve was now more than ready to go after both Hoffman and his hired goons. His thoughts naturally turned to his disbelief at the brutality of the attack and those thoughts were almost overwhelming.

Considering the old duffle and its contents, Steve realized that Hoffman or whoever else had done this wanted Danny alive – albeit for a short time. It was just enough food and water for a few days – the injuries he had incurred would incapacitate and not immediately kill, but also then leave no threat or ability to escape unaided. So if they thought they might need him –_ then why _– for what reason?

The only purposes Steve could come up with related to finding Stan's tape or plainly, for money. Danny had hidden the tape well and Hoffman was desperate to find it. What Stan slid across the desk to Hoffman earlier that day was a blank audio tape. Stan never had made a copy and had simply given Danny the original. At that moment, only Danny knew where that tape was currently hidden; and Steve assumed that place would wind up being somewhere in Danny's own office at HQ.

And the money? If Hoffman were to withhold payment for the job, then having the victim around as leverage also held rationale for the hired hitman or hitmen. Alive, Danny would be the perfect bait to conversely use against Hoffman.

Turning to find a quiet corner to muddle through his painful thoughts, Steve was nearly bowled over by another EMT crew that was hurriedly rushing a bloody patient to trauma. Catching a brief glimpse of the victim's clothes and a partial view of a pained face, Steve did a double-take in confusion.

"Hey! Wait!" He said as he went to grab a technician's arm. "Hey! Who is that?" But shaking him off, the technician was on a trot towards to catch up with the rest of his trauma team. Over his shoulder, he took a second to shout back. "Some suit that was shot downtown!"

Spinning in place for a minute, Steve began a slow walk back to the waiting room. Uncertain at what he'd just seen, he was puzzled as he glanced just once more towards the second trauma room, but pushed back his worry. "No, no. It couldn't be!" he muttered to himself as he re-entered the main waiting area.

But as he got there, the outer doors burst open and Chin came running from the parking lot with both his shirt and hands blood-stained. Grimly, he was relieved to see Steve as he wiped his hands on a towel.

"Steve!" Blurting out the obvious, Chin was simultaneously apologetic and disgusted. "We never saw it. We never saw it coming."

Wrapping his head around the day's events, Steve was rapidly processing what he'd just seen along with Chin's agonized words. "Sniper? At Hoffman's? That _**was**_ Stan then?" He stated in total disbelief. "What the _**hell**_?"

Throwing his hands up in the air, Chin nodded. "Hoffman had an associate – what sounded like _**the hitman**_ – the guy that took down Danny. He was in the office when Stan arrived. But he got away before we could secure the building. Hoffman's in custody and we did a sweep. But as Stan and I were leaving .. "And Chin hesitated in sheer frustration before continuing. "Stan was right behind me and he stumbled as we left the building. I thought he had only tripped."

Continuing to wipe his hands on the now stained towel, he was troubled. "Just one shot, Steve. Upper chest and seems to have just missed his heart. He's being rushed into surgery. But they sure want him dead."

Sighing heavily, he looked away for a moment before again addressing Steve with strong resolve. "Whoever Hoffman hired – they're professional and not letting up and he's not talking."

Voice rising in aggravation, Chin had to remind himself where he was as he took a moment to become more calm before continuing with a much lower voice. "He's so _damned_ smug! Even though we essentially have a confession on tape – Hoffman's taunting us."

Not finished, Chin remained adamant and stressed as he put a hand on Steve's shoulder. With a strained tone he voiced his main concern. "I'm worried about Danny. They don't know we have him yet and what happens when they find out? What happens when they find out he's alive?"

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

Parking at the hospital, Kono opened the door to the truck and then swore as she realized no one would have called Rachel yet about Danny. She also knew enough from Chin that Stan would be at 5-0 headquarters. Slamming the door, she stayed in the truck to make the quick call.

Getting the British woman on the second ring, Kono provided a brief update. "Hi Rachel, it's Kono. I wanted you to know that we've found Danny and literally just got him to the hospital."

Unsure of what to say about his condition, Kono neatly glossed over it and asked Rachel to get there when she could. "Well, yes, he does have some injuries. But I'm sorry I don't know anything more. They're checking him out now." And then remembering, she quickly added. "Chin and Stan are at headquarters going over the Hoffman thing. As far as I know, they're still working together on a few next steps."

Ending the call, Kono slipped lightly out of the truck and jogged into the emergency room to catch up to Steve. "Oh god!" she breathed out in horror as she immediately saw her cousin and that he was virtually blood-soaked. "Chin! Are you okay!"

Turning, Chin nodded as she plucked annoyingly at this shirt and fussed over him to make sure it wasn't his own blood. "What happened? Who got hurt?" she asked in confusion. "What's going on around here!"

Shushing her, Chin was bleak as he pulled her over to where Steve was standing and speaking on his cell phone to Duke about Hoffman and wanting assigned personnel at the hospital.

Explaining briefly, Chin caught her up to speed. "It's Stan Edwards' blood. There was a sniper when we left Hoffman's offices and he was shot once in the chest. And again, we lost the guy."

"A sniper? Hoffman's?" Kono was incredulous at the ever changing events. "Oh god, I just got off the phone with Rachel about Danny. She's on her way here, but she thinks Stan is with you at HQ."

"Okay. Alright. We'll just have to deal with it when she gets here." Chin remarked matter-of-factly as he looked at Steve. Covering the mouthpiece, Steve confirmed Duke's update. "Hoffman's in lockup and demanding his lawyer. But Duke's sending two uniforms over immediately for both Danny and Stan."

Eyes widening, Kono realized the ongoing dangers. "You think he's going to try something **here**?"

Chin was apprehensive as he shared his opinions with both Steve and Kono. Looking at Steve directly he made his point again. "You know that I do. And we need cover here until we find this guy. Assuming there's one."

"Well we have it now." Steve stated dryly, as he ended the call with Duke. As he made a circle with his hand that included their small group, Steve was emphatic. "And we'll rotate at least one of us here at all times too. At _least_ one, until this is over."

"By the way, we have to manage the media." Chin said softly. "They were all over Stan's shooting downtown. Duke put a lid on it and his name's not going to be released. But that isn't going to matter much. The shooter and Hoffman's goons will know exactly who the initial coverage is about – so we need a game-plan sooner rather than later."

And Steve finished for him. "Agreed. Because you're right, once it's out that he's still alive and now that we also have Danny – Hoffman and his people will stop at nothing to finish the job."

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	10. Chapter 10

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

Summary: Post E Malama. Season 1 Episode 16. Housing Commissioner Bruce Hoffman goes after Danny with a vengeance after Danny threatens him over the Stan issue. Hiring professionals to first obtain Stan's tapes which Danny now has and then to dispose of Danny.

**NOTE: I've gotten a couple of "guest" messages – and I reiterate that I haved zero medical knowledge. So please take it with a huge grain of salt. I Google and do some basic research but I adapt as needed to make this FICTIONAL story make as much sense as possible without opening up and researching the Mayo Clinic Almanac. So while I appreciate the medical corrections/advice/the "I'm sorry but you're wrong .." comments, et al. I am trying to have it make sense and do take facts seriously. But remember it's for fun, it's not going to be perfect. Thank you – I feel better now!**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

**Chapter Ten – Under the Island**

Rousseau sat on the old couch in his rental and used the remote to channel-hop as he picked through a messy but delicious Chinese take-out meal. Thoroughly enjoying his dinner he was very content as he idly flipped around on the old TV. Oddly enough inexpensive Chinese was his favorite self-indulgence and especially after what he considered to be a productive day.

As he settled on watching local news, the weather gave way to a special report that focused on a downtown shooting earlier that afternoon. Eyes glowing eagerly, Rousseau leaned forward to hear more about Edwards' demise.

Instead, he found himself glaring at the happy young reporter that blithely informed the listening community that the unknown victim was being treated at Queens Medical, current condition unknown. Glowering, Rousseau put his food down and neatly began to clean up from his dinner. Carefully closing each take out box, he placed each one uniformly in the small refrigerator and then tidied the small coffee table.

From years of experience, he knew that he had two options. Attack swiftly and without delay when victims and assigned protection were least prepared. Or, wait patiently for the inevitable comfort level to sink in and for mistakes to be made as the sense of alarm eased and became the mundane.

Not having time for the latter and much preferring action, Rousseau began to gather his gear together. He would have a thorough plan hatched within a few hours that would ensure Edward's permanent end. The fact that it had to be finalized in a hospital setting only provided for an additional level of challenge. Humming a nameless tune, Rousseau was on his way to the hospital within thirty minutes.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

Hawk-eyed, Steve stood with arms folded in the back of Danny's room as he watched the organized activity around the bed. Duke had a uniform already stationed outside that room and one by the operating theater monitoring everyone in Stan's immediate vicinity. For kicks, he had also placed two officers at the main entrance to additionally observe general traffic. And yet another was at the Edward's residence.

Still unconscious, Danny had been through and subsequently passed the CT scan. But his cheekbone was indeed fractured and he'd have one hell of a headache when he woke up from a rather severe concussion. Two ribs were also confirmed as fractured and would take time and rest in order to heal.

Covered in blankets and with chemical heat packs changed out twice thus far, his temperature was grudgingly up to ninety-six degrees and approaching a more acceptable range. Nevertheless, he was still shivering sporadically and there were concerns over his blood pressure readings. Intravenous fluids were being administered, as well as warm, moist oxygen – the mask of which clouded as he gently breathed in a normal, though somewhat shallow, rhythm.

As Danny was settled in the room, the nurse dimmed the lights and signaled to Steve that he could come forward. "Stay as long as you'd like of course." She kindly offered. "He's coming along nicely. But he needs to remain as quiet as possible."

Steve had been prepped by the doctor but was patient as the nurse reiterated some key points. He had especially been worried about a described and possible heart fibrillation side effect – though remote in Danny's case, Steve would take keeping the patient quiet very seriously as he recovered and stabilized.

Thanking her, Steve stood over Danny and leaned his elbows on the bed's rails and studied his pale face that was nearly hidden behind the oxygen mask and bulk of blankets that were still arranged around his head and neck to retain warmth.

"So, Danno." Steve started in a hoarse whisper. "_So_." And he trailed off in exasperation.

Frowning at himself, Steve puffed his cheeks in frustration as he loudly sighed. "Anyway. You can wake up now you know. I'm hearing that you should be actually. Awake, that is. So knock if off and stop being such an obstinate jerk."

Eyes closed, Danny was listening to Steve's deep voice. Missing many of the words, he couldn't bring himself to mind too much since he found the resonant tone soothing and he was very tired. Unable to help himself, he continued to shiver every so often under the heavy blankets. Parts of him were still cold, but he was most blessedly and finally warmer. Taking stock, he was exhausted and definitely hurt just about everywhere. Each small breath was painful too, but that pain was fairly manageable and the unrelenting noise of the crashing surf was gone. That in itself was the ultimate miracle.

But he furrowed his brow and forced himself to crack his heavy eyes open at Steve's last choice of words. Wincing at the light and the sudden flare of pain in his head, he moaned softly and slammed his eyes shut tightly at the mistake. Though dimmed, Danny was still used to the cave's darkness and the artificial light in the room aggravated his eyes. Overly sensitive from the concussion and now feeling dizzy, he panted shallowly. And as he tried to raise his hand to his aching forehead, that too pained him considerably and he let it drop back to the bed with a hiss. "_Owww_." He groaned as he realized how much every part of his body really did hurt.

"Danny?" He could hear Steve instantly attentive as his voice sounded closer. "Danno? Don't try to move."

Moistening his lips, Danny silently agreed about the advice and lay quietly as the dizziness and nauseating pain in his head slowly tapered down to a passable level. Even though his eyes remained closed, he could almost feel Steve's worry rolling off him in waves. "You're pretty banged up Danno. But you're going to be okay." His voice was low and soft as he tried to help Danny ride out the worst of his discomfort.

Gathering his fading energy, he also didn't try to open his eyes again as he questioned Steve. "_Jerk_?" He whispered with a cracked and broken voice. "Are you ….. calling me …. names?"

Smiling, Steve relaxed and his smile widened as he happily denied it. "Never. Nope. Wasn't me." And then he snorted at Danny's soft but very intelligible, one worded offended reply of "_liar_".

Idly fixing the corner of a blanket, Steve remained standing to lean over him, as he quietly recanted. "Yeah I guess I am one at that. But the next time I tell you that you have a tone, you damn well better listen to me." If Danny had been willing to open his eyes, he'd have seen Steve face change to take on a dark scowl.

The best he could do was frown once again in confusion. "What?" he muttered softly. "Huh?"

Gently pushing, Steve kept his hand on Danny's arm. "Listen Danny, you need to rest. But can you tell me one thing? Can you tell me where Hoffman's tape is?"

"Tape?" Danny remained confused as he struggled to understand the question. "Hoffman." He breathed out. "Is this about Hoffman and Stan?" With a low gasp, Danny shuddered and then flinched in pain. His head began to pound unmercifully as he accidentally shifted in the bed.

Noticing the change in the heart rate monitor and the flashes of pain across his face, Steve mentally kicked himself but he needed to know.

"Easy, Danny. I'm sorry but I need to know where the tape is. Everything's okay. But yeah, all of this is Hoffman's doing. You obviously made quite an impression with that tone of yours."

Forcing his eyes open to mere slits, Danny winced but gave himself time to focus on Steve's troubled face. "I told him I'd kill him. For Grace." He ground out with a grimace. Breathing a bit harder, his ribs were kicking in with a vengeance.

"Now why does that not surprise me?" Steve smirked down at Danny's pained face that was beginning to pale. "Shhh. Just tell me about the tape and that's enough for now."

Bothered by Danny's complexion and obvious stress, Steve was more than sorry that he'd asked the question and he berated himself soundly.

"Tell me and then that's it. God I'm sorry." Running his hand over his face, he was anxious and angry with himself. "Damn it, I shouldn't have asked about it yet. It's really not all that important."

"S'okay." Danny muttered in a low voice that was laced with discomfort and rising exhaustion. "Office. File cabinet Taped to bottom of drawer." With his eyes still only partially opened, Danny wanted to sleep. But he studied Steve's face in askance as he clearly needed particular reassurances.

Smiling slightly, Steve nodded as he squeezed Danny's arm through the blanket and was able to honestly reply. "Yes, Grace and Rachel are both fine. Always have been. And Hoffman's in custody. Now please get some rest."

Standing over Danny, Steve waited for his breathing to level out and for the lines in his face to ease. But it was a long time coming and that did nothing to lessen Steve's personal anger at himself.

Finally sitting down in the chair, he wondered what would happen once Danny found out the true extent of the situation. Watching the gentle rise and fall of Danny's blanketed chest, he promised that information certainly wouldn't be forthcoming any time soon.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

Chin sat in silence with a tearful and very ashen Rachel Edwards while Stan was still undergoing emergency surgery. In its fourth hour, the operation was delicate to remove the bullet from where it had settled near Stan's spine. Other than knowing that the bullet had also nicked an artery and that he'd lost a great deal of blood, not much else was being shared outside of the operating room.

While Chin found a change of clothes, Kono had headed Rachel off when she'd first entered the emergency room with every intent of hearing about Danny. But she'd nearly fallen to her knees once Kono had explained that Stan had also been admitted and was in emergency surgery to remove the sniper's bullet.

Unable to grasp what was happening, Rachel was inconsolable as she made Kono tell her over and over again what had occurred during the afternoon hours.

Now finally sitting with Chin, Rachel sat heartbroken and waited for word on her husband.

Cheerlessly, she took his hand and watched the assigned officer pace near the operating room doors. "At least Danny will be alright." She remarked. But her eyes filled with tears as she guiltily broke down once again. "But I turned my back on Stan before he left with Steve this afternoon. I didn't even speak to him after he'd told me what he'd done. I couldn't bear it after seeing what was in that damned box."

Squeezing her hand gently, Chin did his best to support and give her some relief. "Rachel, he knows. And he tried to make it right today and he did an admirable job. Let's just focus on that, okay? One thing at a time." Nodding, she sniffled but was unable to look at him as she worried the many worn tissues in her lap.

Excusing himself, Chin noticed Kono gesturing to him from the opposite side of the small waiting room. Walking briskly over, she took his arm to speak privately. "We got matching partial prints on both the flashlight from the small pack and from a door-knob in Hoffman's office."

Excited, Kono gave a rundown on the match. "Philippe Rousseau, AKA Phillip Ross or Phil Rosen. Last known permanent residence is a flat in Paris. Professional hit man with quite the reputation. He's on every wanted and watch list known to man."

Amazed by the findings, Kono was almost impressed at the lengthy, dark record. "He's more than bad news, Chin. He's lethal. Never leaves a witness alive. Every aspect of what he does is extremely well-orchestrated. Even the few photos on file are negligible and suspect. There's a rumor that he's had numerous plastic surgeries over the years. His last known whereabouts was Brussels and that was about six months ago."

"Sounds like we're the lucky winners now." Chin said ruefully. Running his hands over his face, he quickly reviewed the reports and documents.

"We have to tell Steve now. And then let's have a meeting with Duke and HPD. With this information and what's been done so far, he's coming again – and soon."

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	11. Chapter 11

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

Summary: Post E Malama. Season 1 Episode 16. Housing Commissioner Bruce Hoffman goes after Danny with a vengeance after Danny threatens him over the Stan issue. Hiring professionals to first obtain Stan's tapes which Danny now has and then to dispose of Danny.

**NOTES: I'm sorry if this chapter might be tedious and lacks action, but the muse says the story must be told like this. Sooooo ….. **

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

**Chapter Eleven – Under the Island**

Peeking out from under her old denim baseball cap, June smiled as she watched her mother picking flowers in the garden. On her knees and weeding in the dirt, she had forgotten how pleasant it was to simply be outside in the sunshine. Her unease and sporadic flashes had stopped after her last call to Kono and June was relieved. And then she was virtually vibrating with happiness after getting Kono's call later in the day that Danny had been found. With all the jumbled pieces in head now threaded together, June was quite simply - happy.

But getting up to move to the next row, June felt briefly dizzy and then uneasy. She had an odd feeling of being watched and she searched the quiet yard. But other than a few birds and her mother of course, no one was there.

"Great." She commented to herself. "Here we go again." Moving to the next row of flowers, June knelt down slowly and closed her eyes in the warm sunshine. Acknowledging her growing unease, she tried to figure out where is coming from but couldn't put her finger on it. Rising to her feet again, she called out to her mother.

Expecting to say that she was going in for a glass of water, what came out of her mouth instead had her eyes widening in surprise. "He's coming again." And then after uttering the words, she had a terrible dark and menacing feeling that frightened her.

Shielding her eyes from the sun, Loni kept at her flowers and said, "Who dear? Is he coming here?" Not getting a reply, she looked up and saw her daughter's rather shocked face. "Oh! June! Is it about the Detective again? Can you tell yet?"

Shrugging, June was distracted as she felt an eerie chill and then a strong need to get to the hospital. "I'm going to the hospital. I want to talk to Kono and maybe Detective Williams. Just to be sure."

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

Already at the hospital, Rousseau was amused by how easily he walked in through the front door, done a brief circuit of a few floors blatantly by elevator, and then had gone on to the cafeteria – all in plain view.

During his roughly one hour excursion, Rousseau knew exactly how many and where the HPD officers were stationed near the operating and ICU areas. He also had identified laundry closets and employee locker rooms. In essence, his overall his plan was quite simple. As a non-descript orderly, he'd best be able to gain access to Edward's during a late night shift change.

And he was gleeful at the variety of choices afforded to him in a hospital setting. Drugs abounded and the thrill of providing an overdose was an exciting option. As a test, he had neatly pocketed the multi colored pills from a small paper cup that had been left on an elevated tray in an empty hospital room. Hearing the bathroom flush on his way out, he realized that the room's occupant was only indisposed. But his small experiment had energized his imagination and he now had five unknown pills in his jeans pocket.

But unfortunately, he needed more time to fine-tune his escape route options based on the hospital's location and antiquated layout. And anxious to start, that major detail made him very unhappy.

Now having a hot coffee and supposedly reading a newspaper, he was doing his own recon of sorts as he casually watched the comings and goings around him and listened to bits of conversation - most of which meant nothing. Adjusting his seat to allow four off-duty EMT's to pass and take a larger table, Rousseau paged through his paper irritably as he listened to snippets of the new conversation behind him.

"…_. was some beach rescue earlier today." _

"_Nah, … was a cave. Not …. beach but Frank Porter was involved. ….. a great guy. HPD was there."_

Hearing the word "cave" he froze and immediately knew. Rousseau held his breath as he paid closer attention to the EMT's conversation. "_Seems okay I guess. Heard he was beaten and just left there. Can you imagine that?" _

Getting up abruptly, Rousseau was glowering in a rage as he stalked out of the cafeteria. "_Williams? He should be dead. How did they find him?_" Briefly uncertain, he kept his head down as he walked briskly and with purpose off the hospital grounds. He needed a new plan and one that would now take care of two loose ends.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

Feeling a soft hand on her shoulder, Kono turned around from the nurse's station to find June Pane'e smiling face.

"Hi June!" Kono remarked in surprise, as she took her hand and gave it a friendly shake. "What are you doing here?"

Feeling uncomfortable, June briefly looked around at the chaotic waiting room. "I know you're busy and I'm sorry. But can we talk for a few minutes? Somewhere a bit more private maybe."

Moving towards the cafeteria and mere minutes after Rousseau had left in his huff, June suddenly felt a strong pang of fear. "Oh Kono. It's true. He's here." And then she stuttered in confusion. "Or he _was_ here …"

Grabbing her arm, June changed her mind about talking. "Can I please see Detective Williams now? Please?"

Kono was both doubtful and worried. "June, I don't know. Danny's not up to having any visitors." She unsuccessfully tried to change June's mind and get her to refocus. "Why don't we just talk here a little bit and go over things like we did at the office?" Showing June her notebook, Kono smiled gently. "I have lots of paper and we can find a quiet corner to hash it out together?"

Persistently and continuing to urge Kono, June managed to turn her away from the entrance to the cafeteria. "Please. I just need to _**see**_ him. I promise I won't say a word. I need to know what this is."

Sighing, Kono finally agreed as she reluctantly allowed June to pull her towards the elevators. "Steve's going to have my head though." She muttered to herself contritely.

Speaking briefly to the HPD officer on duty, Kono and June quietly entered Danny's room. As expected, Steve was lounging in the uncomfortable chair near the bed as Danny slept and he carefully rose to his feet when he saw them.

Staring only at Danny, June barely acknowledged Steve and then wandered past him and nearer the bed. "I'm sorry. I need to make sure he's okay." She whispered under her breath.

Motioning to Steve, Kono pulled him over to the corner of the room as June quietly approached Danny. "What's this all about?" he asked bluntly. The team had already met and reviewed the data on Rousseau and Steve was on edge. Frankly, everyone was on edge.

Tucking her hair back and behind her ear, Kono apologized again. "Yeah, I'm sorry about this but June was rather determined … and very upset." She added softly. "Honestly. She was scaring me Steve."

"You know what." Steve put up one hand in agreement as he watched June standing quietly by the foot of the bed. Taking a breath, he watched as she closed her eyes as if in deep thought. "It's alright."

Amazed at the change in attitude, Kono took a step back. "Really? Because I thought you'd literally have my head for this."

"No. Definitely not. She's been unexpectedly helpful." Nodding towards June, he was pensive and almost worried. "Why is she upset? Is it Rousseau? Does he know about Danny already?"

"Not sure. In the cafeteria she said "he was here" or "he is here" and I didn't know what she meant. Truthfully, I don't know if June gets it yet herself. But after, she just had to see Danny."

Neither knew it as they spoke, but June was quaking inside as she stood at the foot of Danny's bed. As before, her feeling of immense dread was back and she was truly afraid. Opening her eyes, she moved around to stand closer to Danny's head and bravely reached down to gently touch one hand that rested on his chest. And again the threatening images came fast and hard enough to take her breath away. Snatching her hand to her throat as if she couldn't breathe, she backed up quickly and only wanted to escape the room. Noticing the immediate and radical change, Steve intercepted her and she wound up crying into his chest.

"Stay here." He instructed Kono, as he turned and kept June shielded in his arms. Leaving quickly, he escorted her down the hallway and to a small break room. Sitting June in a chair, he knelt in front of her and took her trembling hands in his own. "Okay, now tell me. What's going on with you?" He was calm but very firm as he impatiently waited for her to get herself together.

Squirming to escape his hold, June was upset that Steve was effectively keeping her in place. She felt like she was suffocating and wanted to leave as intensely as she had first wanted so very badly to visit Danny.

"He's evil. And he was here in the hospital." She whispered in a small frightened voice and Steve was shocked at the statement. Looking directly at him, June then meant Danny. "It's not safe here for him. He's still in danger."

"What else?" Steve was brooding and stern as he peppered her with questions. "Why isn't it safe June? What kind of danger?"

Unnerved by the overwhelming sensations and unable to segregate them yet, June couldn't immediately provide an answer. But needing to trust him, she took a deep breath and tried to explain herself. "Okay. I can tell you that I felt an oppressive weight and couldn't breathe. The danger is close and here. It's _**here**_ in the hospital."

Searching Steve's face she waited to be judged and was relieved when he simply nodded and encouraged her to go on. "Thank you." June said softly and she gained some confidence to continue.

"The only thing I think I know is that he was definitely here. He was here in the hospital and not too long ago. And he _**knows**_ something – and that makes him angry." On the verge of tears again, June was bewildered as she put one hand to her forehead. "But I don't know _**what**_ he knows or why he's so very very angry. So I can't help you."

But Steve knew all too well. And as he gave her a gentle hug he murmured into her hair. "Rousseau was here in the hospital making plans for Stan. But now he knows that Danny's really alive. And that makes him even more dangerous than he was before."

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	12. Chapter 12

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

Summary: Post E Malama. Season 1 Episode 16. Housing Commissioner Bruce Hoffman goes after Danny with a vengeance after Danny threatens him over the Stan issue. Hiring professionals to first obtain Stan's tapes which Danny now has and then to dispose of Danny.

**NOTES: this was a very difficult chapter to write, so comments are very welcome. Is it okay, good or did it totally stink? I had two different tacts and then chose this one. *sigh* **

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

**Chapter Twelve – Under the Island**

Steve secretly found himself a little unnerved when June Pane'e didn't want to leave the hospital grounds. It took a long and very direct conversation with Kono for the young woman to be convinced that she didn't have to be physically there in order to help. With instructions to call Kono at any time of day or night, June finally agreed to go home with a rather theatrical sigh. With both hands on his hips, Steve watched from the sidewalk and just outside the main entrance as Kono walked June to her car and then waved a short good-bye.

"Definitely do _**not**_ need a third job right now." He said to himself as he briefly enjoyed the fresh air. With Kono promising to swing by the ICU and make 5-0's ongoing presence known, he re-entered the hospital and went back up to Danny's room to speak with Chin and Duke.

Both were standing in the hallway avoiding the small flurry of activity taking place in Danny's darkened room. Jogging the short distance from the elevator, Steve cursed softly as he felt his heart speed up in alarm. "What's going on?" Eyes wide and looking increasingly disheveled, he was on high alert as his hand strayed unconsciously to his side-arm.

Chin noticed as he reached out slowly to stay the hand with a curt nod. "Danny woke up a few minutes ago and was complaining right off about the pain in his head and then he started to gag so I hit the call button."

The ongoing stress was evident in his voice and body language as he brought Steve up to speed. "The doctor isn't too surprised about a migraine with the severity of the concussion, but he's thinking about calling for another CT scan or an MRI to be sure nothing's changed. The on-duty neurologist is on his way over for consult."

And as Chin finished speaking, the doctor came out to talk to the small group of officers. "We've changed the antiemetic to something stronger to care for the nausea and upped the pain meds. But my honest opinion is that this is directly related to the concussion."

Continuing, the doctor offered the somewhat relieved small group an added explanation. "He's extremely light and sound sensitive. So feel free to stay and do your jobs, but limit any talking and keep the lights dimmed. With any luck, he'll be able to sleep within the hour with the improved routine."

"What about the scans you had suggested?" Chin asked. Nodding the doctor acknowledged his earlier comments. "If he's not better by morning, then yes, we'll do another round. But let's see how the change in prescription works first."

Entering the darkened room, Steve heaved a sigh at Danny's extremely pained face. He noticed too that the bulk of the blankets had been removed including the chemical heat packs. Glancing up at the remaining nurse as she rechecked his IV, she smiled encouragingly. "If there's some good news, his core body temperature's back in the normal ranges and he'll be off these fluids by tomorrow morning."

With some obvious relief in his eyes for that one major improvement, Steve took up the chair to sit silently and dared to touch Danny's one visible, but very bruised hand. He was surprised when Danny slowly opened his eyes and seeing Steve, loosely tried to grasp his fingers. "Sick", he breathed out sullenly.

Barely above a whisper, Steve tried to smile. "Shhh. I know. The doc says the meds will kick in soon. Just sleep." Grimacing, Danny closed his eyes as he tried to comply.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

Rousseau was storming around the small rental as he furiously planned his next steps. Almost throwing himself into a chair, he knew that haste and temper caused a multitude of problems and so began to calm and center himself. As he forced himself to relax, he felt the small bump of pills in his pocket and his eyes gleamed as a new idea gained momentum.

On his way off hospital property earlier that afternoon, Rousseau had passed a small uniform supply store and had spontaneously purchased a pair of maroon scrubs and clean white rubber soled shoes which he'd noticed most day nurses had been wearing. Pleased with his unplanned foresight, he showered, shaved and changed into his new attire. Within the hour, he was back at the hospital and boldly waiting near the employee's entrance for an eligible off duty orderly to leave the building. And thought it took time, Rousseau's opportunity came shortly after midnight and he acted immediately.

Hiding the body as best as possible in a dumpster, he pocketed the man's keys and wallet. Displaying the hospital identification card on his maroon hospital shirt, he began to smile as he re-entered the building boldly through the main entrance and headed towards a lightly staffed nurse's station. Acting calmly and as if he easily belonged, he nonchalantly inquired about a dear friend he'd learned was being treated there in the hospital.

"Williams? You said?" The older woman confirmed as she quickly used the hospital's computers to pull up patient records. "I see. Yes he's here on the fourth floor – room four twenty." Smiling kindly, she glanced up to voice her well wishes, but Rousseau was already gone. Almost shrugging, the nurse quickly forgot about the incident as the phone rang and she was fielding questions from an irate doctor about a misplaced medical file.

Taking the stairs two at a time, Rousseau stopped one floor below his destination and did a quick circuit of the nurse's station and patient rooms. Finding a discarded pill cup, he placed his stolen stash in it and then moved to the nurse's station. Unable to determine how pills were dispensed, he frowned and decided to go directly to the fourth floor.

Peering out into the hallway, he saw the one stationed officer by the door and rightly assumed that his prey could have an additional guard. Adjusting his uniform, he smiled at the challenge as he coolly walked out of the stairwell and to the nurse's station. Ignoring the seated officer and forcing himself to be patient, he was pleased to see that it was also lightly staffed for the overnight, hours. Leaning up against the counter, his entire demeanor changed and he became gregarious and social as he chatted up the nurse who was obviously happy with the attention. Shortly a tall, dark-haired man stood in the doorway to Williams' room and heaved a back-breaking stretch and Rousseau could easily see the exhaustion in the man's posture.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

Rousseau was very tolerant of the delay as he smiled and continued his casual conversation while never taking his eyes off the officers. He watched as the man finally said something to the seated officer and walked away to thumb the elevator. Moving around the counter, Rousseau took a small cup and fiilled it with water from the cooler as he continued to watch Steve. And then putting her hand up in apology, the nurse frowned as her telephone rang to disrupt her pleasant conversation. But Rousseau quickly excused himself and took the new opportunity to enter William's room.

As he fully expected to happen, the officer stood and stopped him. But holding up the small cup of pills and water, Rousseau was formal and professional. "It's time for this patient's medication. I'd like to make sure that he takes it on schedule."

Having witnessed Danny's earlier event, the officer didn't hesitate as he entered the room with Rousseau.

And at her downtown apartment, June awoke with a start from a sound sleep. She was sweating profusely and her heart was hammering in her chest – the level of dread she felt was overwhelming. Without a second thought for the time of night, she immediately dialed Kono's cell phone. The sense of danger was imminent and June was doubley petrified and scarcely able to get her words out when Kono answered softly from the ICU.

"It's happening now. He's back. He's there." Unable to say more, June sobbed into the phone and barely heard Kono's stunned "we got it" as the connection was cut. Curling up into a ball, June hugged her pillows tightly and cried over and over. "Please don't be too late."

On the move at the hospital, Kono had already grabbed up two HPD officers and was running through the halls as she speed-dialed Steve.

Walking quickly to Danny's bedside, Rousseau roused him from a deep sleep and plunked the five multicolored pills into his palm. Holding the water to his lips, Rousseau then had to hold back a smile as Danny barely opened his eyes and willingly downed the unknown medications. Nodding to the officer, he took a minute to settle Danny back down in the bed and froze momentarily as he heard a low voice behind him. Returning from a quick coffee run, Steve was already back and standing stock still behind the officer with a large styrofoam cup. "What's happening?" Without taking his eyes off the scene in front of him, Steve briefly frowned as his cell phone began to vibrate on his hip.

"Meds." The officer explained. "He said Danny needed them on schedule."

But narrowing his eyes and seeing the nearly imperceptible stiffening of the supposed nurse's shoulders, Steve was leery and suspicious as he continued to ignore his cell phone and chose to focus on the stranger. "What did you give him?" He asked quietly and almost threateningly.

Turning, Rousseau schooled his features and was smooth, just stopping shy of being condescending. "Pain medication. As prescribed by his doctor."

Moving towards the door to leave, Steve used his body to block and then force Rousseau to take a full step backward into the center of the room. Still trying to avoid a confrontation, Rousseau persisted but his own anger was rising and he was simultaneously readying himself for a fight.

"I know you're worried about your friend here, but he has been given his prescribed medication. And I do need to finish my rounds. So if you don't mind?" Rousseau indicated his desire to move past Steve.

But the man simply didn't budge. Ominously he looked Philippe Rousseau directly in the eye and Steve McGarrett simply said. "_**No**_."

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	13. Chapter 13

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

Summary: Post E Malama. Season 1 Episode 16. Housing Commissioner Bruce Hoffman goes after Danny with a vengeance after Danny threatens him over the Stan issue. Hiring professionals to first obtain Stan's tapes which Danny now has and then to dispose of Danny.

**NOTES: Of most importance – please say a prayer for the victims, families and survivors of the terrible tragedy in Colorado. **

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

**Chapter Thirteen – Under the Island**

In a rage at being denied, Rousseau reacted by grabbing the unsuspecting uniformed officer and flinging him bodily into Steve. But anticipating an altercation, Steve practically snarled a warning as he avoided most of the officer's falling momentum to launch himself directly at Rousseau. Driven by the weekend's stresses and full fledged fear for what had been essentially forced into Danny's weakened system, Steve didn't hold back as he attacked the assassin.

Finding themselves almost evenly matched, the two grappled and fell into an ugly rhythm of harsh and unforgiving punches and ruthless kicks that took them violently into the hallway. Crashing into the far wall, they were brutal as they each meant to destroy the other.

Temporarily stunning Steve with a sharp kick to the face, Rousseau gained a split second of time to break free and scramble to his feet. He had every intention of cutting his losses and leaving the building down the same stairwell he'd entered that night. Underestimating Steve's fury and presence of mind, it was his final and most fatal mistake. And as he laid his hand on the door's handle, three shots rang out in the silence and the force of the hard blows threw him head first into the doorway. Falling flat on his stomach with his legs partially in the hallway, Rousseau was dead before he hit the concrete landing.

From his sprawled position on the floor, Steve sagged back into the wall as he watched each bullet find its intended home in the assassin's back. Startled by another sound, he turned wild eyed as he immediately swung his gun towards the opening elevator doors before realizing it was Kono running towards him with two HPD officers.

As Kono hauled him to his feet, Steve was out of breath from the fight and bleeding profusely from the head wound. But he was desperate as he physically shoved the two officers towards Rousseau's bloody body and stumbled back into Danny's room.

In a strangled voice, he willed himself to stay in control as he kept moving. "Kono. Get help. Danny needs help _**now**_."

Steve was horrified as he practically fell back into the room and saw Danny's struggle to breathe. "God. Nononono!" Lowering the bed rails, he held Danny's shoulders down as he began to writhe and moan in new found pain.

"Get somebody in here!" Steve yelled loudly over his shoulder. Failing to remain calm, he was frantic and nearly in tears as he tried to do something – anything – to help Danny. "Easy, Danny. Breathe. _Please just breathe_." But Steve's pleadings were useless as the drugs began to take a toll on his system.

Opening terrified eyes, Danny tried to look at Steve but he was dizzy and couldn't focus. Having trouble inhaling, his stomach was now also badly cramping and he fisted the bed sheets in agony.

"Steve?" he choked out blindly, but severe stomach pain took his remaining breath away. Groaning and beginning to panic, Danny fought the strong hands that held him down.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

Two hours later, the Five-0 team sat in absolute silence together outside of the ICU. Danny had been moved to the critical care unit following an emergency gastric lavage to remove any remaining medicines forced into his system. But without yet understanding what Philippe Rousseau had pushed into him, final treatment was pending as the toxic contents were analyzed and a determination was made regarding what might have already been absorbed into his blood stream.

Kono watched Steve as he sat sullenly and off to the side. He hadn't spoken since she'd had to physically pull him off the stationed officer that had inadvertently allowed Rousseau to enter the room. She sadly studied her hands and idly wondered if the officer's nose was truly smashed to smithereens and in need of reconstructive surgery.

But she knew that Steve was also tormenting himself for daring to get a meager cup of coffee. Quietly, she glanced at his bruised face and blood-stained dressing on the side of his head from the wound which had needed six stitches to close. Sightlessly he was staring at one place on the floor which was about four feet in front of where he sat on the hard plastic chair.

Rising to sit closer to him, Kono stopped as Danny's doctor entered the small waiting area. Silently, she changed direction and was joined just as solemnly by Chin and Steve.

Adjusting his glasses, the doctor was grim. "We know what it is and it's been confirmed by an incident we had yesterday with the pharmacy and an elderly patient that insisted her medicine disappeared from her room."

Steve's voice was just as soft, as it was both rough and broken. "And so, what did Rousseau give him then?" His eyes were filled with personal anguish and he could barely look at the doctor. "Will he be okay?"

"He's in serious condition and we're trying to stabilize him." The doctor replied truthfully. "The pills were taken from an elderly patient's room yesterday. That patient is here for a standard knee replacement but takes daily medications for high blood pressure and for epilepsy. Those medications have been confirmed in Detective Williams' system."

Kono sat down as her knees suddenly weakened, and she listened hazily as Chin questioned the explanation in order be sure that he had heard correctly. "So Rousseau stole the drugs from that room and then forced them on Danny?"

"Unfortunately, yes. That seems to be what happened. The patient's room is not near either the ICU or Detective William's original wing. This Rousseau must have been traipsing around at will and found an opportunity to steal the drugs."

Not meaning to be judgmental, the doctor was only trying to offer a rationale and provide more information. "While the combination is appropriate for the elderly patient, it's caused a severe adverse reaction affecting Detective Williams' breathing and heart rate. In addition, with the antiemetic and added pain killers already in his system to treat his original condition, we have additional drug interactions to contend with here."

"And the pain?" Steve had spent minutes holding Danny down as the on-call doctor and nurses had vainly tried to stabilize him. Shaken by the experience, Steve was also sickened by what Danny was now being put through. "Is that also part of this … _what did you call it, _… this adverse reaction?"

"Yes, yes it is." The doctor replied quietly and with sympathy. "But we're hoping it lessens now that the bulk of the poisons are out of his system. In fact, the lavage was timely and we've given him activated charcoal to absorb any residual drugs that may still be in his stomach. The severe muscle cramping and stomach pains are definitely related to the toxicity."

Following Kono's example, Steve also found a need to sit as the doctor's words sunk in. Covering his face with his hands, he was despondent and Chin took a place next to him to offer him quiet support. "I never should have left that room. _Never_."

_**~ to be continued ~**_

**_End Notes__: _after this, my next story will be happy and fluffy! Gee – think cuddly puppies. I do believe that I royally creeped myself out writing this. **

**_Caveats:_ again I know diddly about medical things. I did however, select two drugs familiar to me with my elderly parents and validated side effects online. **

**The issue is - I couldn't locate anything about HOW an overdose or an allergy to the drugs was dealt with specifically. So, I'm going with what I've noted here as possible options. For any experts – please 'forgive' anything wrong when it comes to real, valid treatment that should only be prescribed and managed by a true, licensed medical professional.**


	14. Chapter 14

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

Summary: Post E Malama. Season 1 Episode 16. Housing Commissioner Bruce Hoffman goes after Danny with a vengeance after Danny threatens him over the Stan issue. Hiring professionals to first obtain Stan's tapes which Danny now has and then to dispose of Danny.

**NOTES: I'd like to give you all an early Sunday morning bromance gift. It's short, but came to me over night – CinderH knows I do my best typing over breakfast as the muse works whilst I sleep! Enjoy! **

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

**Chapter Fourteen – Under the Island**

Stepping closer to Steve's forlorn figure, the doctor put a gentle hand on his shoulder as he sat in the uncomfortable waiting room chair and once again blankly stared at the plain white floor. "He's asking to see you."

Looking up in complete surprise and not sure he heard correctly, Steve cautiously stuttered a reply. "What? He .. _what_? Danny's awake?"

"He shouldn't be really, but yes and he's been asking for you. So I need you to come with me." As the doctor turned away and beckoned him to follow, Steve slowly rose to his feet and looked to Chin and Kono.

"I'll be right back." He breathed out quietly. But with a friendly shake of his head, Chin gave a soft snort.

"No. No you won't, but it'll be okay. Kono and I'll hold down the fort."

Before entering Danny's room, Steve was given brief instructions and severely cautioned. "Don't be alarmed if he seems confused or falls asleep. Or in fact, even loses consciousness." And then the doctor was adamant. "His heart rhythm is erratic and his blood pressure is very low. He absolutely must remain calm and quiet." With mock annoyance, he rolled his eyes. "Try to please shut him up."

Raising his eyebrows at the last words, Steve almost smiled as he agreed to the stipulations in a voice that was rough with worry. "Alright."

Harried and running on empty, he ran a hand over his bruised face and grimaced as he avoided the small bandage. Brought up short, he immediately had to remind himself that Rousseau was in fact dead, and the danger over. For a maroon-clad nurse stood over Danny with her back to Steve and he inwardly winced at the immediate knee-jerk reaction to pull her away. Forcing himself to breathe and settle, he wavered in the doorway.

Feeling his presence, the nurse turned and gave him a radiant smile so very unlike what he'd just witnessed and turning back to Danny, she quietly said. "He's here now. Please get some rest."

However and even after hearing her gentle words, Steve was unable to smile in return as he approached Danny and barely acknowledged more than her exit from the room. With utter relief, he saw Danny's pale blue eyes watching him and he could have sworn that those eyes were similarly quieting as he approached the bed.

"You should be sleeping, D." He said softly as he saw a flicker of pain cross Danny's exhausted face and the weak hand that was tensely bunching up a wad of the bedding in discomfort. Seeing the sweat on Danny's forehead and the continued pinched expression on his too pale face, Steve was overwhelmed at the myriad of beeping and brightly lit machines that Danny was also hooked up to and the scene made him powerless to stop his apology.

"I'm sorry." Steve whispered sadly, as he smoothed the heavy blankets that were back in use due to Danny's low blood pressure. "This is entirely my fault."

Wearing an oxygen mask, Danny's voice was low and muffled as he faintly tried to deny Steve's responsibility. Shushing him vehemently, Steve shook his head and became stern as he roughly raised his voice. "You are _**not**_ to speak. Not at all. Not one word, Danno."

Wrinkling his brow in frustration, Danny huffed under the mask and then winced in pain again as this time, his damaged ribs objected. "Please, Danno." Steve's plea was desperate as he studied Danny's drawn face.

Sighing, he gently and carefully untangled the bruised fingers that were twisting the bed sheets. Not expecting the return of coldness in Danny's fingers as they weakly wrapped around his warmer hand, he had to choke back a small sound of dismay. At a loss, Steve made a deal with him. "How about neither of us talks, okay?"

Hesitating briefly, Danny nodded once. But looking from Steve's eyes to his bandaged head and bruised face and then back again, he made it clear that one more explanation was due him. It was obvious that he'd been aware of the scuffle with Rousseau and had heard the loud gunshots. Bedridden and unable to help, Danny had his own demon of sorts.

Smirking in understanding, Steve gave in to the one final question. "Yeah, Danny. I'm fine and he's dead. Hoffman's guy that put you in that damned cave. He's in the morgue and it's really over this time. So help me. I promise that it's truly over."

Violating the deal, Danny weakly smiled and Steve could hear the softly sighed "good". Struggling, Danny needed to voice another worry but was again fervently shushed and reminded that whatever it was, it could certainly wait.

Distressed but unable to find the energy to speak as a twinge of pain passed over his chest, he panted shallowly into the oxygen mask. Feeling Steve's hand gently tighten on his own and another placed comfortingly across his forehead, Danny closed his eyes and lost the fight to remain awake.

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	15. Chapter 15

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

**Summary: Post E Malama. Season 1 Episode 16. Housing Commissioner Bruce Hoffman goes after Danny with a vengeance after Danny threatens him over the Stan issue. Hiring professionals to first obtain Stan's tapes which Danny now has and then to dispose of Danny.**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

**Chapter Fifteen – Under the Island**

"He's lost weight." Rachel said quietly from the doorway. Without looking up, Steve nodded and agreed. "Yeah, he sure has." He'd noticed himself since the move to the ICU and it was yet another nit to pile on top of all the other worries.

Wandering over to stand behind Steve, Rachel's voice was weary and laced with concern. "Has he improved since it happened?" Stressing the word '_it_', she was reluctant to ask in fear of hearing more bad news.

Steve made a face as he looked at his hands first before answering her question. "I guess." And then changing his mind about what he was going to say, he was more truthful. "Actually, no. Not exactly." As his eyes flicked over the slowly beeping heart monitor for the thousandth time, he finally stood quietly and moved around the bed in order to speak to Rachel directly.

"There's still concern over how the drug interactions are suppressing his heart rate. They said the rhythm is irregular and slow. Plus his blood pressure still hasn't come up as they'd hoped it would."

"What are they doing for him? I thought the lavage was successful. I thought he was getting better!" Rachel's voice grew louder as she became increasingly upset. Having spent the last many hours with Stan, Danny's attack hit Rachel hard and she was frightened.

"I just don't understand how any of this could have happened." Gesturing towards the bed, she was emotional and no longer whispering as her voice continued to rise unchecked.

Annoyed as Danny shifted uncomfortably and complained softly in his sleep, Steve firmly moved Rachel back out into the hallway to finish the conversation. "Yes. Yes, of course they are." He hissed defensively. "They're flushing his system using IV fluids and trying to stabilize him that way. It's just taking so much time and he was weak anyway."

Noticing that her eyes had widened in surprise and had filled with unshed tears, Steve was immediately contrite. "Damn it." He sighed in frustration. Knowing that he'd been severe, he put both his hands on her shoulders. "Listen Rachel. I'm sorry. That came out wrong." Guiltily, he also remembered that he hadn't asked about Stan.

"We're all tired I guess. And all of this has just been too much." She shared quietly in understanding. "Stan's going to be alright though. And like you said before, it's going to take a fair amount of time. For each one of us." Shrugging off his hands, Rachel backed up and then turned to walk back to Stan's room.

"Great. Perfect." Steve muttered under his breath, but with nothing to more to do about a frazzled Rachel Edwards, he returned to Danny's room. Making sure that Danny was still quietly resting, he sat in the room's vinyl reclining chair, leaned back and closed his eyes. And within minutes, Steve was also sleeping soundly.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

Not yet fully awake and with eyes still closed, Danny awkwardly pushed what felt like a mountain of blankets off his body with painful hands. "Too hot." He mumbled unhappily, and then grimaced in annoyance as the oxygen mask uncomfortably pulled on his cheeks. Reaching up, he winced as he yanked it off to the side and tossed it away. Blinking furiously at the blurry ceiling, he tried to focus his still bleary eyes.

Somewhere behind his head, he could hear the staccato sounds from a heart monitor as his chaotic movements increased his heart rate. Moments later, an obviously haggard Steve was bending over him and attempting to readjust the stifling blankets.

"No. Too hot." Danny repeated belligerently. "Don't want them."

Scowling, Steve didn't answer as he watched Danny roughly push them back down. Restless, he searched the bed with one hand for the remote and then fumbled to find the right button in order to raise his head.

"Give me that." Plucking the remote from Danny's hands, Steve thumbed it down for the bed to go flat again and then noticed the oxygen masking was also missing. Looking around the pillows and side of the bed, he was growing increasingly frustrated.

"Now where's the damn oxygen mask? Finding it hanging by one elastic string off the side of the bed rail, he tried to get it back on Danny's face. But once again it was firmly tugged off and stubbornly pushed to the side.

Fully exasperated, Steve finally stood back with his arms crossed in defiance. "Danny, what are you doing?" But taking time to study him from head to toe, Steve saw the alert but very peevish expression. And he grinned in total relief. "You're better."

Face brightening by the second, Steve pointed one finger firmly in Danny's direction. "Stay here. I'll be right back!"

Practically bolting from the room to find the doctor, he could hear the sound of the bed being raised and then laughed at Danny's grumpy retort. "Not going anywhere, Steven. But you better bring back something good to eat."

Dragging the nearest doctor back to the room, Steve then placed calls to both Chin and Kono to bring them up to speed on Danny's improvements. He had left the room beaming at the first few words that confirmed both blood pressure and heart rate were fully normal meaning that Danny was most assuredly out of danger.

Closing with Kono, he smiled into the phone. "Yeah. Yeah, it's all good. And feel free to give June a call too."

Meeting the doctor in the hallway as he exited Danny's room, Steve reconfirmed all the reports. "So, he's really okay then?"

As he nodded, the doctor looked at his quick notes. "Yes, he's definitely going to have a full recovery. I'd like to keep him one more day to continue IV fluids and to monitor his initial diet. But you can expect him to be released - with limited activity of course - sometime tomorrow."

Broadly smiling, Steve was already making mental plans for Danny to recover at his place as he returned to the room. Leaning back against the door-frame, he watched in amusement as an unsuspecting nurse delivered a small tray of soup and plain crackers. It didn't take long for him to start chuckling at the beginnings of a full-blown Danny-rant at the meager rations.

"Really – are you **_kidding m_**e? This is it? I had more in that damned cave ….and by the way, _who the hell _gets hypothermia on a damned tropical island!"

**_~ to be continued ~_**


	16. Chapter 16

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

Summary: Post E Malama. Season 1 Episode 16. Housing Commissioner Bruce Hoffman goes after Danny with a vengeance after Danny threatens him over the Stan issue. Hiring professionals to first obtain Stan's tapes which Danny now has and then to dispose of Danny.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

**Chapter Sixteen – Under the Island**

Almost sneaking into the ICU the next morning with a bundle hidden under a light jacket, Kono tossed the small crinkly item to Danny as she checked the empty corridor. Danny grinned with relief as he immediately opened the bakery bag to find half a dozen cocoa puffs.

Stuffing one into his mouth, Danny was blissful as he mumbled around the mouthful. "I think I love you. A lot!"

"Shhh!" Kono whispered dramatically as she laughed and then continued to make sure the coast was clear. "You are _**SO**_ not supposed to have that, brah!"

Smiling from ear to ear, a second soon followed the first. "M'not tellin'.,, and now I _know_ that I love you!" But with raised eyebrows, Steve glared at Kono in disgust as he showed up in the doorway and then pushed past her with his hand out. "Okay. Give me the bag. Give it up."

But tucking it firmly under one arm Danny chewed contentedly as a third pastry quickly followed the second. Waving one sticky finger in his face, Danny absolutely refused the request and smiled cheekily. "Bite me, Steven."

"You're going to get sick, _you idiot_." Turning to Kono, he continued to glare at her. "Why would you bring him a bag of these things?" Hands out plaintively, she smiled winningly and begged forgiveness. Pointing back to Danny, she wholeheartedly placed the blame directly back on him. "It's not my fault. He made me do it!"

Sighing in resignation and in an attempt to save Kono from further harassment, Danny relented and held the bag out. "Fine, Captain Killjoy. Take what's left. And for the record, I am not going to get sick from the one pastry obviously made by god." Pointedly licking his fingers and smiling happily, Danny made a grand show of enjoying Kono's gift.

Snatching the bag out of his hands in irritation, Steve frowned as he compared what was left to the amount Danny had already consumed. "Three? You ate three?" Steve grumbled in annoyance and then paused in consideration. Reaching in, Steve popped a cocoa puff into his own mouth. Watching Danny's face cloud over, he grinned and brandished the bakery bag in the air. "Hmmm. These are pretty good aren't they?"

Hearing bits and pieces of the conversation, Chin soon joined the group and leaned around Steve's shoulder to check out the bag's remaining contents and also took one. "Ah, great cocoa puffs!"

Looking nearly apoplectic, Danny almost choked in surprise when Kono snagged the very last one.

"Might as well!" she said and laughed out loud at Danny's crushed expression. But saving him from any further mock cruelty, Steve was still chuckling as he walked over and casually placed a small overnight bag on Danny's lap.

"Here, get dressed. You're sprung."

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

The entire time Steve drove home, he kept stealing confused glances over at Danny who was sitting almost sullenly in the passenger seat of the truck. What had begun as happy relief at being discharged, had mysteriously changed somewhere between the time Danny got dressed and then rejoined Steve and the others in the waiting room. Leaving in the obligatory wheel chair, he had barely said one word and had since remained absolutely silent.

Finally caught looking, Danny glared at Steve moodily. "So, are you going to tell me what's up?" Worried, Steve took the chance and then sighed as Danny merely looked away to stare blindly out the window for the remainder of the trip.

Moving around the kitchen, Steve efficiently gathered a small bowl of soup and crackers together on a tray for Danny who was currently lounging in the spare bedroom. "Here you go. And finish it." Steve demanded, as he balanced the tray across Danny's lap.

"You don't need to do this, you know." Danny huffed as he swirled the spoon in the soup and stared deeply into the hot liquid.

"Actually, there are two reasons why I do." Adamant and unyielding in having made the final decision, Steve, sat down on the side of the bed and made an obvious display of pushing the tray of food closer to Danny. "One, you have two cracked ribs and need to rest. The doctor wants you off your feet as much as possible. Two, you're as weak as a kitten and simply need help for a few days, Danno."

Danny certainly couldn't argue the two points because just getting from Steve's truck to the house had been a slow and agonizing ordeal with his ribs protesting the entire time. Sitting carefully in a kitchen chair, he'd had to close his eyes against the light-headed dizziness caused by the short but clearly exhausting walk.

Continuing to idly swirl through the soup, Danny remained subdued and was plainly ill at ease about something. "Alright, what's bothering you? What happened? Because you were fine before." Pushing hard, Steve demanded to know what had so altered his mood.

"Before we left the hospital, Rachel told me about Stan and how you nabbed Hoffman. I didn't even know the man had gotten shot or was still in the ICU." Danny said softly without yet looking at Steve. "Is there a reason why none of you had the courtesy to fill me in?"

Surprised to hear that as the problem, Steve blurted out an honest answer and the first thing that came to mind. "Well, yes, Danny. And, a big reason at that!"

Determined to be grouchy, Danny continued to stare at the cooling bowl of soup on the small tray. "And that would be what, exactly? Because I would have thought that someone would have had the decency by now and not my clearly distraught and quite angry, ex-wife."

Snorting in derision, Steve was defensive and at first could only get one word out. "_**You**_." The bluntly stated single remark caused Danny's head to swing up sharply and their eyes met across the tray.

"Yes, you." Steve stated again for emphasis. "We didn't have a chance to tell you anything, Danny. It's been one thing after another and we were all warned about limiting and avoiding any undo stresses. You simply didn't need to know."

As he finally sighed in resignation and nodded, Danny had to admit that he understood the dilemma. "Fine, I get it. But what about the other guys working with Rosseau? What's up with them?"

Continuing to look down and with just a hint of failing sarcasm, Danny missed Steve's face completely change to one of shock, as he brought up the one final unresolved issue that had been plaguing him. "Or, is this something else you felt you had to withhold from me too, Steve, for my obvious wellbeing?"

Narrowing his eyes dangerously, Steve's breath caught in his throat at the important significance of the question. Cautious and growing more concerned by the moment, he was barely breathing when he asked Danny to repeat his words. "What other two guys, Danny? What are you talking about? There was only Rousseau."

Picking at a piece of stray fuzz on the comforter, Danny was lost and almost withdrawn as he recalled splintered memories. "No. No, there was at least one or maybe even two more guys with Rousseau. I only remember parts of that night. It's not clear and I'm not sure, but he definitely had help."

And then very softly, Danny closed his eyes as he whispered and tried to remember. "There was a boat. There were others in the cave with him and I couldn't do anything."

Steve was mortified and jerked off the bed to stalk the small room in abject anger. "Oh my god." He whispered, as he looked over to Danny who had paled considerably. "Of course, he'd need help." Abruptly leaving the room, he was infuriated about the omission as he called Duke and then Chin.

From the bedroom, Danny was now equally worried as he heard the angry exchange of words from his partner. Steve would pause and then rapid fire demands about dragging Hoffman out of his cell for another inquisition or ensuring the lab once again examined every article of evidence for DNA and prints.

"Crap." Danny whispered to himself as he listened to the tirade. Storming back into the bedroom, Steve was nearly beside himself as the pacing resumed in front of the bed. "We screwed up. We totally screwed up."

Meeting his dark and troubled eyes, Danny tried to shrug it off. "Maybe. Maybe not. They were probably just hired muscle and I bet that they're long gone by now. Rousseau was definitely the 'go to' guy for Hoffman. And he's thankfully gone for good."

Trying to unsuccessfully reassure each other, Danny's words even sounded hollow to himself. "It's okay. I'm sure it's okay." And then he hesitated briefly before adding anxiously in a soft whisper. "Right?"

And in fact, the statements were quite true. Though Steve would fret and look for weeks even after the case had essentially been closed, the other two hired men had long ago left the Island, fading back and seamlessly disappearing into every day life.

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	17. Chapter 17

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

Summary: Post E Malama. Season 1 Episode 16. Housing Commissioner Bruce Hoffman goes after Danny with a vengeance after Danny threatens him over the Stan issue. Hiring professionals to first obtain Stan's tapes which Danny now has and then to dispose of Danny.

**Notes: once again the muse as a mind of her own. So what I thought would be the final chapter – is not! I hope you enjoy the interlude to the hopefully pleasant finale.**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

**Chapter Seventeen – Under the Island**

By the time the two had calmed down long enough to rehash what he remembered the night he'd been attacked and kidnapped, Danny's eyes had begun to droop in exhaustion. There was little of value regarding the number of voices he'd heard or from fractured memories. Names weren't spoken and Rousseau's group had been extremely organized and careful. Both could only assume that one person had needed to pilot the boat in the cave and that Rousseau would have required a third set of hands to deposit Danny on the cold, rocky shelf.

But the assumption was enough for Steve to be in up in arms about missed details and "what if's". Scrubbing his face with both hands, he was disgusted and worried about the unexpected information. Continuing to harp on what could happen to Danny or Stan without protection or the right level of ongoing in-tel, Steve had escalated and it was draining Danny. As he continued to voice his complaints loudly, Danny closed his eyes and weakly leaned back into the pillows.

"Steve, we can't worry about a 'what if'." Danny stated sourly in a rough voice and winced as he tried to adjust the bedding to support his back. Tired and becoming irritable, his energy was altogether sapped and he'd had enough of talk as he slouched down uncomfortably in the bed.

"You're absolutely right." Catching the tone and subtle painful sigh, Steve realized guiltily how wearing the debate had become and the subject needed to be changed. Effectively and officially ending the conversation by standing and retrieving the untouched tray of food, Steve stood away from the bed.

"So I'm reheating this, you're going to eat all of it, and then get some sleep." Returning with the tray within minutes, Steve had a furrowed brow as he anxiously roused him from a light doze. He then practically force-fed a grumbling Danny before allowing him to completely lie down. Adjusting pillows, blankets and then darkening the room from the early afternoon sun, Steve made sure that Danny was set.

"You okay? Need anything?" He whispered, as he turned around from closing the blinds. And then a short smile flashed across his face as Danny was already soundly asleep and comfortably buried amongst a mound of pillows.

Leaving the door partially open, Steve spent the rest of the afternoon downstairs fielding calls between HPD, Duke, Chin, Kono as well as with the lab. With an inflexible directive to go over every minute detail, the entire team was mobilized again in an effort to find a missed lead or an accidently ignored strand of data.

Abrasive and still annoyed, orders were succinct as he delegated tasks to each member of his team. Ending with Chin, he had completely reorganized and reset the course of action one final time. "Chin, I'd like you to interrogate Hoffman and see if anything's been omitted. _Anything at all._ And until further notice, make sure there's still a presence both at the hospital and at the Edward's residence for Gracie."

"Benevolent dictator, my ass." He grumbled to himself as he finally put the phone down and stretched largely by his desk.

And then having absolutely done all that was humanly possible, Steve crept upstairs and peeked around the corner of the bedroom door. Finding Danny still peacefully dead to the world, he finished updating a few reports before heading out for a healing swim - he was back and showered well before Danny even stirred in the bed.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

A week later, the colorful bruises on Danny's cheek had yielded to a pale greenish-yellow but he was cautious about his still tender and slowly healing ribs. Firmly shutting the window that Steve had opened and closing the blinds, Danny moved back to the bed and carefully got dressed.

Casually walking in to see if he needed help, Steve barely glanced at Danny as he frowned at the humid and close feeling in the room.

"Did you close the window?" he asked, as he walked past the bed, spun the blinds open and lifted the sash to its full height. The breeze coming in off the ocean was strong and fragrant and the pounding surf could be heard in the distance. Leaning out the opening, Steve took a deep breath of the fresh air.

"That's better." He remarked as the room was filled with summer sunshine. "Danny …" Turning, Steve meant to ask him about a barbeque he was thinking of throwing that weekend to include Duke and his family. But the room was empty. Raising his voice, Steve quickly left and first checked the upstairs bathroom, which was also disturbingly unoccupied. "Hey. Where did you go?"

Slowing making his way downstairs, Danny was already in the kitchen and sitting gingerly at the table by the time Steve caught up to him.

"You okay?" Steve asked offhandedly as he grabbed two mugs and poured them each coffee. Slightly distracted and withdrawn, Danny's reply was a short and huffed, "yeah".

Sitting across from him, Steve smiled as he pushed a box of the infamous cocoa puffs under his nose along with a steaming mug. But then immediately frowned, as the delicious offering was totally ignored.

Drumming his fingers on the table he waited patiently, but Danny sat mutely still with his head down. Puzzled by the continued silence Steve rolled his eyes dramatically as he finally gave up the game. "Okay – I give – you win. _Yeah_ - but yeah _what_?"

Taking a deep but careful breath, Danny then puffed another loud sigh. Raising the delicate subject of returning to his place to finish recuperating, Danny became very direct and straight-forward. "Well. I think it's time that I got back to my apartment. And from what you've told me, I've got some major cleaning up to do. So …"

Looking up to gauge Steve's reaction, which was already disapproving solely based upon the shadow that suddenly crossed his face, Danny inwardly cringed as he continued more slowly. "_**And**_ well .. well, I think it's just time that I did. I can manage."

Taken aback, Steve simply stared at him without a single word coming to mind. And then a slow realization dawned. "It's the sound of the waves, isn't it?" Steve gently stated as he saw the subtle unease grow in Danny's posture. Now it made sense - why he consistently had been finding the window closed and the shades tightly drawn to the small ocean-facing spare bedroom.

"You want to leave because of that." He breathed out in quiet sympathy. Searching madly for a compromise, Steve knew that Danny wasn't ready to deal with being on his own or handle the cleanup that the tiny apartment would eventually require. And there was still the issue of the other two hired goons; not knowing that they were already long gone, Steve was still turning over the most remote of rocks looking for clues. Finding zero leads to go on from the extremely limited evidence, there was still the gnawing concern about another strike from Hoffman's men.

"Danny, it's only been a week. One lousy week! You can barely make it across the living room." Slapping the table loudly and with finality, Steve leaned back in the chair and was inflexible as he shook his head. "No. No, it's a bad idea."

Noticing that Danny was studiously picking at an old notch in the wooden table, Steve continued to make a strong case. "You know. You can sleep anywhere else in this damned house. It's certainly big enough." Reaching across, Steve poked his arm to get his attention as he added quietly, "All you needed to do was ask, D."

"I'm sorry. It's stupid." The reply was so low, it was almost inaudible.

"Frankly, I disagree. It's so totally _**not**_ stupid." Despising Danny's dejection, Steve struggled to find the right words that were just enough and yet, not too much.

"You went through a horrible experience and you have every right to your feelings." Blatantly honest, Steve placed a warm hand on his arm as his voice also softened to a low undertone. "I still can't believe where we found you. But I want you to stay here. So, what can we do to work it out?"

As another thought flit across his mind, Steve inhaled slowly to ask the question. "Dreams too, Danny? Any, bad dreams?"

The next response was equally nearly inaudible and there was an accompanying defeated shrug. "No. But I should go. I can go."

During the short exchange, Steve had kept his hand firmly placed on Danny's forearm. Giving it a squeeze, he smiled with some relief and shook his head as he once again refused the soft request. "You're not going. So get over it, babe. But I've got a plan."

Plunking a pastry in front of him with orders to eat, Steve rapidly cleaned out his sister's spare bedroom – the one bedroom in the house that actually faced the main road. Already equipped with a small TV, he found the remote and then fluffed up the bed with clean linens.

Surveying the changes, he listened hard but could only just barely make out the now very distant ocean. As two motorcycles roared by on the road, it was totally deadened and Steve grinned in relief.

"Yup, this will do."

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	18. Chapter 18

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

Summary: Post E Malama. Season 1 Episode 16. Housing Commissioner Bruce Hoffman goes after Danny with a vengeance after Danny threatens him over the Stan issue. Hiring professionals to first obtain Stan's tapes which Danny now has and then to dispose of Danny.

**NOTES: not sure yet if I'm ending here or not. Comments/thoughts? More of an epilogue needed?**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

**Chapter Eighteen – Under the Island**

Danny was already waiting good-naturedly in the passenger seat of Steve's truck just a couple of days after the "ocean issue" and subsequent move to the alternate bedroom. Steve's immediate understanding wasn't a surprise with his Seal background and experiences with post traumatic stress. But Danny never thought it could happen to him and not having his feelings made a federal case had been a total relief. Feeling better now, at the time he honestly hadn't wanted to be alone and he knew that he'd have a difficult time with the most basic of tasks. However, the repetitive sounds of the distant surf had begun to overwhelm both his waking and sleeping hours. It had triggered feelings of extreme anxiety and he'd awaken with a jolt from jagged memories holding aching ribs and bathed in sweat. Beginning to feel trapped, Danny had been exhausted and didn't think he'd have a choice.

But today, well-rested and only slightly bothered by his healing injuries, the casual "_do you feel up to the office today_" remark made over a light breakfast was met with a resounding '_yes'_.

Grinning broadly as he jogged over to the driver's side, Steve slid in and started the engine but then was very serious. "I expect you to say something if you get tired or don't feel well. You're still on sick leave." Stressing the word 'sick', Steve's unwavering Seal death stare was in full operating mode.

Rolling his eyes, Danny insisted he was good as he dismissed the order and ignored the intent look. "Sure, whatever. Just go. Drive." But as the truck remained stationary in the driveway, he smirked back at his partner. "Fine. Yes, dear. I promise."

"Just making sure, Danno." Steve duly noted as he put the truck in gear and left the house. Needing to address other cases and to quite literally make an appearance, Steve intended a solid half day of work and he knew Danny would be more than up to the change of scenery. He also wanted to retrieve the hidden tape and get it over to HPD as part of Hoffman's official file and submitted evidence. With district attorney involvement, everything had to be carefully cataloged and committed officially to avoid a mistrial.

Insisting on using the elevator, Danny once again rolled his eyes at the babysitting but kept silent as Steve hit the button for their floor. Parting ways, Danny walked over to his file cabinets, bent carefully to open the desired drawer, and then tugged on the small piece of masking tape fastened beneath and pulled out Stan's tape.

"And here you are." He remarked to himself, as he held up the tiny piece of evidence which was the cause of all his woes. Running his hand through his hair, he saw that Steve was already on the phone with his door closed. Standing behind his desk, he was gesturing widely with his back to the inside glass windows. But before Danny could settle himself at his own desk, Chin strolled in and a huge smile broke across his face at the unexpected surprise.

"Danny! Didn't expect to see you here!" Gently placing both hands on his shoulders and studying the healing bruises and only mildly strained posture, he gave him a soft shake. "You're looking much better, brah. Good to have you back."

Swinging wildly out of his office, Steve loudly interrupted the two men. "Listen. I have to meet Kono and will be back in a few." Looking meaningfully at Danny, he pointed firmly in his face. "You, my friend, will tell Chin if you've had too much and need to get out of here. But she and I should be back before lunch."

"Everything okay?" Chin asked at the somewhat vague and random declaration.

"Yeah, she just has a lead to follow up on. I'm going with …." Letting it hang purposefully and giving them no time for additional questions, Steve was out the door as quickly as he'd entered a scare few minutes prior.

"Okay, then." Danny drawled dryly at the abrupt departure. "I guess we'll see them for lunch." Smiling at Chin, he held up Stan's audio tape. "We need to get this into Hoffman's evidence file. Feel like a trip to see Duke?"

Grinning but vigilant of Danny's welfare based on Steve's parting words, Chin carefully agreed. "Sure. As long as you're up to it."

Biting back a sigh for what seemed like a never-ending supply of good will from his friends, Danny moved towards the door. "It's right around the corner. And I've been house-bound way too long." Leaving companionably together, Danny wound up just a few steps behind Chin as they took the long staircase to the main floor.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

Steve rolled up in his truck to park next to Kono's car just outside the entrance to the apartment building and was eager to put their hastily organized idea into motion.

"Ready?" He asked, as he joined her on the sidewalk.

"You bet!" she grinned back, as she waved a handful of large empty trash bags in the air and held out a bucket full of cleaning supplies. "I've got everything we need. So let's get this done, boss."

Using the pretense of meeting about a lead, Kono had called Steve that very morning with her idea to clean up Danny's vandalized apartment. Making the very fast and impromptu plans, they thought they'd be able to finish the large bulk of work by early afternoon.

Starting with the bright yellow crime scene tape, the two tore down and stuffed the garbage into a trash bag in an initial effort to remove all signs of the police work that had been conducted in the small apartment. Using Danny's key, Steve sobered as he opened the door and once again saw the grim destruction. The place was quite literally in a shambles from the living room and then as far as the eye could see. Nothing had been untouched. Chairs were overturned; cushions had been pulled out from the sofa and flung at will. Steve knew the bedroom was just as bad with clothing strewn about and drawers literally torn out of the two dressers.

"This was a good idea, Kono." Steve was subdued as he re-lived the last few terrible weeks in what felt like a single heartbeat. Clearing his voice, his voice was rough and strained as he muttered it again. "A very good idea."

Looking around quickly, Kono also had to firmly push down her emotions. No longer having to make herself focus on it strictly as a crime scene, she now allowed herself to see it as a violent and hateful personal invasion. Almost losing to her rising tears, she took a deep breath and let it out slowly as her voice insisted on wavering. "Let's just start here and work our way in. What do you think?"

Agreeing, Steve's heart continued to sink as he saw the dried remnants of blood on the rug and front door. "Yeah. Here first." But picking his way past broken glass and cracked china strewn across the kitchen floor, he made his way to the window and opened it widely to combat the stale, still air.

Turning, he caught Kono's sad eyes and the two stood motionless for a moment as they were almost overwhelmed once more in the midst of the chaos. And neither could admit the fear at what they'd almost lost for good.

"Good idea, Kono." He repeated gruffly in an effort to buoy them both. "Really." Having almost forgotten his original shock that first day, Steve realized that Danny never would have been able to cope with the magnitude of the mess.

With a half smile that barely reached her eyes, Kono nodded and bent down with the bucket to begin work on the stubborn stains. Gaining a quiet momentum, the two hit a rhythm as they efficiently moved through the small space. Within three hours time, Danny's apartment was nearly back in order and didn't resemble anything close to its prior abysmal state.

Steve still had no intention of yet discussing when Danny might return, but at least now there'd be one less worry; one less agonizing thing to do. And most importantly, one less thing for Danny to think he had to contend with alone - other than going to the supermarket to replace the food that had spoiled in the refrigerator.

Able to now genuinely appreciate their huge accomplishment, Steve and Kono gave each other a spirited high-five in the middle of the now spotless living room.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

"So where are they?" Kono said as she pushed the main door open to the 5-0 offices. Back in time for lunch as promised, she and Steve were surprised to see the entire floor and all offices empty. Reaching for his cell phone and just a little worried about where the two might be, Steve speed dialed Chin.

Hearing the amused "we're right behind you" in stereo, Steve grinned as he turned and hit the end button.

"Where were you two?" Steve asked as Chin and Danny remerged from the staircase.

"Brought the tape to Duke." Danny chuffed out and was disturbingly out of breath. Giving him a gentle hug, Kono made a face at the too sweaty t-shirt that was clinging to his back.

"What else did you do, run a mile or something?" She asked as she made a point of holding the shirt out with two fingers to demonstrate its wetness. "Yuck, Danny!"

Poking him lightly on the shoulder and then a bit harder, it was obvious Chin had repeated himself on the topic often that morning. "No, Danny here had to say hello to the entire precinct. So we were there a lot longer than we had to be."

Poking him harder with each word, Chin was annoyed. "And" – _poke_ – "someone" – _poke_ – " isn't taking it" – _poke_ _poke_ – "easy" – _poke_.

Finally grabbing the offending hand, Danny slapped Chin away in annoyance as he rubbed his chest. "Knock it off! I'm fine!"

Having heard that a million times the same morning, Chin shook his head and threw his hands up in the air as he frowned at Steve. "What did you do for the last few days? Tie him down to the bed?"

But instead of the expected lecture, Steve seemed almost amused. "No. But he's a big boy. Shall we do lunch?" Raising his eyebrows at the lack of argument, Danny was sure something was up, but bit his tongue. Leaving together, he was once again propelled bodily towards the elevator, but not another word was spoken about the unnecessary activity.

Though the restaurant was normally within walking distance, they all piled into Steve's truck. Not admitting that he was a bit tired, Danny missed the occasional glimpse Steve threw his way as he took in the slightly hunched stiffness in his body and the fatigue creeping into his eyes. The test was on and Steve was determined to see how long it would go on for.

As they settled at their table, Danny sighed as he leaned back in the chair and rested his head against the wall. Closing his eyes, he was content to listen to the hubbub of the other diners as they talked, the noise of clattering utensils and his team's voices as they discussed their orders.

"What?" He found himself asking, bleary eyed and unfocused for a minute he'd forgotten where he was. Realizing then he'd actually fallen asleep sitting up, he grimaced at himself and looked around. Both Chin and Kono were holding back laughter as they watched his confused reaction.

Smiling, Steve had the menu shoved under his nose and a hand on his arm. "Food, Danny. What are you having? Waitress is here."

More tired than hungry, he was almost annoyed and shifted in the seat. Unable to hold back the "owww" as his chest tightened, he glared at Steve's knowing face. "Damn it." He swore softly. But still unwilling to give in entirely, he pointed to a burger. "I'll have that."

Still smiling, Steve confirmed the same but then whispered something to the waitress. Missing the short exchange, Danny had once again zoned out at the table and was surprised when a take-out bag showed up along with two other plates that were plunked down only in front of Kono and Chin.

Taking a firm hold of Danny's arm, Steve gently tugged upwards and he soon found himself following. "You two enjoy your lunch." Grinning to Kono and Chin, Steve took the bag of food and moved Danny in front of him towards the door. "Come on. Let's go. You're obviously never going to admit a blessed thing."

But on their way out, Danny practically stumbled out of the way to make room for a small group of business people that were coming in to the popular restaurant. Lurching forward, he connected with a young woman who immediately spilled out an apology as she held his arm for balance.

"Oh my god, are you okay?" The woman's eyes got bigger when she looked at Danny in bewilderment and then saw Steve coming up behind. "Oh my _**god**_!"

"Hi June!" Steve said warmly, as he intercepted the two and slipped a casual hand under Danny's elbow to help right him. "It's good to see you again."

Peering closely at her, the two hesitated for just a second and June quickly caught Steve's silent and meaningful plea. Smiling broadly, June shook her head with an empathic 'no' and apologized warmly to Danny for the mis-step. "I'm really sorry. It seems like I'm a total klutz." Waving goodbye, she soon caught back up to her friends as they were seated.

Not remembering where or when he'd seen her, Danny was confused as he looked back into the restaurant. "June? Who's June?"

And then continuing to smile, Steve was happy as he shrugged nonchalantly and moved him towards the truck. "Just a good friend, Danny. I'll tell you later."

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	19. Chapter 19

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

Summary: Post E Malama. Season 1 Episode 16. Housing Commissioner Bruce Hoffman goes after Danny with a vengeance after Danny threatens him over the Stan issue. Hiring professionals to first obtain Stan's tapes which Danny now has and then to dispose of Danny.

**NOTES: huge THANKS and CYBER HUGS to all my many, many FF Friends! Thank you and enjoy! I have to judge a horse show today so my next chapter could be delayed and happen after the weekend. But this is my "sleeping muse" breakfast chapter. I was going to end the story in this chapter, but this bit stands on its own. So yes, at least one more chapter shall be coming.**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

**Chapter Nineteen – Under the Island**

Parking in his driveway, Steve sat back and just watched his partner sleep with an amused expression. "Oh for pities sake!" He muttered affectionately. Danny had fallen asleep yet again with his head resting against the passenger window and only just a few minutes of leaving the restaurant. This time though, he seemed truly out for the count based on the soft snores and the easy, gentle rise and fall of his chest.

"Hey!" Steve whispered loudly from where he sat. Not getting a response, he tried speaking up a little louder as he also gave him a shake in an attempt to rouse him gently. "Danno. Wake-y wake-y!"

"Incredible." Exasperated that there was still no response to his urgings, he noisily crinkled the paper take-out bag from the restaurant and opened the driver's side door.

"Danny. Let's go!" But merely shifting his position against the window, Danny's eyes stayed closed as he hardly budged where he lounged peacefully in the passenger seat.

Cringing at what he would now do, Steve determinedly slammed his door with force and shouted through the open window. "Yo! Danny! UP!"

"_Wha_ ?" Danny croaked as he slowly opened his eyes and looked groggily out the truck window and then slowly turned his head to the left to frown at Steve. "You say sumthin?"

Walking around to the passenger side, Steve opened the door and carefully helped him out. "What did I say about doing too much? Do you even remember that conversation? "

Growing increasingly annoyed, Steve supported his elbow all the way to the front door and then directly to the sofa as he felt the low muscular tremor throughout Danny's body. "Damn it _**Daniel**_. You're really exhausted."

Rubbing his burning eyes, Danny yawned. "Did too much I guess."

Quirking his eyebrows incredulously, Steve halted mid-stride on his way into the kitchen with the bagged burgers. "I'm sorry. Excuse me? Did I hear that right?"

Nodding in defeat, Danny looked up with hooded eyes. "Yeah. And can we skip the food. I really need to lie down." Struggling back to his feet, he slowly made his way towards the staircase, sighed as he looked up the short flight which all of a sudden seemed much too difficult to deal with, and changed his mind to return to the sofa. Sitting carefully once more, he groaned as his ribs protested and he cautiously leaned back. "Never mind. Here is good actually."

While his foray that morning had been well worth it, he'd been on his feet the whole time as he got caught up in the excitement of visiting friends and well-wishers at the precinct. Though Chin had insisted numerous times that they cut the visit short, Danny had waved him off as an over-zealous mother hen. And by the time he realized he'd truly overdone it, it was too late. Missing his timely round of medications, and with ribs burning plus a dull headache coming on, the final wave of complete exhaustion overcame him back at the 5-0 offices.

Feeling Steve's unrelenting eyes on him, Danny had to smile and then chuckled as he first rubbed and then held his tender ribs. "Really, I'm okay. And I don't know why you're so 'annoyed'. You'd do worse, you actually _**have**_ done worse, and I have proof."

Watching Steve's face change with the words, Danny's eyes were beginning to fill with tears as he tried to hold back more laughter. Holding his aching ribs tighter, he couldn't hide the sarcasm. "Wait this is actually funny. Shall we count the ways? If you've got a pad and pencil, I can even take notes."

Dumping the bag on the coffee table, Steve sighed in disgust and then wound up grinning as he watched Danny settle himself smugly back on the sofa. He was over-tired and achy, but undeniably in a very good mood.

"Fine. You may –_** just may**_ - have a point. But I'm not going to let you change the subject that easily. And, no by the way. You're not skipping lunch."

Admonishing him with a stern finger, Steve was biting back his own laugh and beginning to fail miserably. "Sit. Stay." He demanded, as he finally burst out laughing himself. Going upstairs, he rummaged through Danny's medications until he found what he needed.

Dropping the two pills into Danny's palm, he handed him a glass of water and was once again serious. "Take these and eat at least half the burger or it will wreck your stomach."

Snatching up the bag of food, he plated it in the kitchen and returned to sit on the sofa next to Danny. Fixing himself more comfortably, Danny tiredly balanced it on his lap and nodded his thanks. Sighing at the mammoth task of simply raising the food to his mouth, he swore again that he simply wasn't hungry. "Steve. Really."

"Don't care." Steve mumbled around his own mouthful as he remained unmoved and inflexible. "You have to eat with the meds."

Dramatically taking a very reluctant first bite, Danny gave in as he chewed methodically and then simply kept going. Within a few short minutes, he had actually devoured the entire plate of food. Popping the last bit into his mouth, he felt Steve's eyes watching him in wonder. "Well, I guess I was hungry after all." He muttered defensively. "And now what's with the face?"

Though he wanted to ream him up and down the Island for being such a stubborn, obstinate, contrary pain in the ass, Steve only could shake his head and chuckle as he took the empty plate away. "I got to tell ya. I have absolutely no words."

And in the time it took to clean up from their lunch, Danny had already fallen deeply asleep on the sofa. Back to snoring softly, he was curled up on his side with one arm hanging clear to the floor. And the weary lines on his face were already easing as he willingly gave into the desperate need for sleep.

Lightly draping a blanket over him, Steve went out to the lanai to make a series of phone calls that included Duke and Rachel. Within the hour, a small get together of friends and family was soon planned for that coming Saturday.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

Strolling now into the kitchen with his head down as he simultaneously read the newspaper, Danny was still talking a mile a minute as he slowly trailed Steve from room to room. Oblivious about the added cleaning and straightening up of the house, Danny had chalked it all up to his partner's obvious obsession with combating clutter, and so was clueless about that day's afternoon barbecue.

"Like I was saying, I think I'd like to get over to my place later today. Check it out. See how bad it is. Get the mail. Pay the bills."

But even though Uncle Steve had told her to not say a word, Grace was barely able to hold back the giggles as he held her high in his arms. Bouncing her up onto his hip for balance, he lounged against the farthest counter in the kitchen.

Steve's eyes were shining with concealed laughter as he whispered to her in a hushed voice. "He's really silly, isn't he Gracie?"

Clapping her hand over her mouth since she was the surprise, Grace tried hard to be quiet but Uncle Steve was making her laugh. "Shhh!" She whispered back loudly and then hid her face in Steve's shoulder in an attempt to muffle the constant giggles. Neither could believe that Danny didn't see or hear them in the far corner of the room.

"_**Ahem**_." Grinning down at her happily, Steve loudly cleared his throat as he tried to get Danny's attention. But he continued his incessant chatter and then began pacing the short distance on the other side of the kitchen.

"Danny. Hello. Earth to Danny." Rolling his eyes in aggravation, he once more sent Gracie diving back into his shoulder to stifle her own laughter.

Continuing to leaf through the paper and look for the elusive sports section, Danny was totally unaware of the two people standing in the corner of the room. "Where's the sports in this stupid thing?"

And then again, the chatter started up as he rifled through pages more quickly. "Did you hear me, Steven? Apartment. Today. Mail?"

"_**Daniel**_." Hearing his name spoken sharply, Danny finally paused and looked up in the direction of Steve's voice. Pointing to who he held in his arms, Steve burst out laughing at the totally stunned expression. "Surprise! Look who's here!"

Absolutely speechless, Danny looked in astonishment from Steve's beaming face and then to his daughter who was now giggling hysterically in the Seal's arms. He wasn't sure what to say until she wriggled down and raced to him full tilt. Newspaper pages scattering everywhere, achy ribs forgotten, Danny scooped her up into his arms in one easy motion.

"Grace! Monkey!" Looking at Steve over her small body that was now fully engulfed in his own huge hug, he was overwhelmed with emotion.

"How did you do this?" He whispered in a voice rough with happy, grateful tears. "_When_?"

Kissing the top of her head and stroking her hair, Danny refused to put Grace down as he turned and walked into the living room. Leaning back in his arms, she also kept her arms wrapped around his neck as she told him everything. "Uncle Steve said we're having a party today. But mom said she would drop me off early before it started. I can stay all day and overnight too."

"We are? She did?" Danny gushed back at her as he tried to take it all in. Still not believing that she was really there, he gave her another warm hug and then slowly let her down to the floor. "I'm so glad she did. But what's this about a party?"

Following them slowly into the other room, Steve was extremely pleased at having pulled it off. With Rachel's cooperation, Danny's reaction was what he'd hoped for; and the first few minutes with Grace had already made Danny more at ease and animated – more 'whole' - more like himself.

"I invited a few people over today for a barbecue. Duke. Chin, Malia and Kono of course. And a few others." Shrugging, Steve gestured widely with both hands since Danny obviously wanted to know more. "_And_ yes I called Rachel. Stan's home from the hospital and doing great. But they can't make it. _**However**_, Rachel dropped Gracie off just a few minutes ago and she's here for the weekend."

Tweaking her hair, Steve smiled down at the little girl. "So, this one here is your surprise! But we can still go get your mail. Check out your apartment. You know. Do all those other things you were babbling about just a few minutes ago."

Glowering at Steve in mock anger as he tried to use his own words slyly against him, Danny wasn't having it. "Not on your life!" Danny stated firmly as he took Grace's hand in his own. "We're going for a walk."

Arms folded, Steve stared meaningfully at Gracie. "Remember the rules, right Gracie? You're in charge."

And as confusion spread across Danny's face, his lovely and innocent daughter captured a smirk only Uncle Steve could have taught her as she looked up at her Danno. "Yup! If he gets's too tired or does too much, I will bring him back!"

As Gracie dragged him by the hand out through the lanai, Danny looked back once over his shoulder with bright, happy eyes and mouthed "_traitor_".

Dissolving in laughter, Steve held up one mocking finger that clearly said "deal with it!"

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	20. Chapter 20

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

Summary: Post E Malama. Season 1 Episode 16. Housing Commissioner Bruce Hoffman goes after Danny with a vengeance after Danny threatens him over the Stan issue. Hiring professionals to first obtain Stan's tapes which Danny now has and then to dispose of Danny.

**NOTES: continued THANKS and CYBER HUGS to all my many, many FF Friends! Some more fluff had to happen before the actual and more serious barbecue portion. This is a direct result of the morning breakfast muse – my thanks for CinderH for the beta!**

**So here, we go - poor Steve … LOL!**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

**Chapter Twenty – Under the Island**

Steve stood quietly next to Danny on the beach as they both watched Grace play in the shallow ripples. In actuality, Danny was watching Grace like a hawk, while Steve silently studied Danny. Running back and forth, Grace was happily searching for shells. Those that met her approval, wound up in her plastic pink beach pail. And she'd stop often and hold a particular one up high for her father to see. Trying to smile, Danny would mostly manage a nod or an almost unenthusiastic wave as she'd drop it in the bucket and be off again in her search.

Shoulder to shoulder, only Steve could tell that Danny was inwardly miserable by his pale face, sweaty forehead, and the too tense and almost hunched shoulders. And while he often had his hands in his pockets, at that moment they were jammed in far too deeply and almost as if he was trying to hold himself together.

"We can call her in you know. Go back to the house. People are going to start to show up in about an hour anyway." Steve's comment was low, conversational and meant only for Danny's ears.

Shaking his head, Danny was tight lipped. "No, I will not have her afraid of the water because of me." More quietly he added, "And I'm not you know. It's just too soon."

"It'll pass, Danny." Steve breathed out gently as he rested one hand warmly on his shoulder for encouragement. Looking down at Danny's bare feet, covered in wet sand and nearly at the water's edge, Steve smiled. "It will."

Struggling now with the weight of her small bucket, Gracie needed two hands to carry all of her shells to the beach. Nearly there, one side of the plastic handle separated from the pail spilling half of her precious finds in the sand. Dropping the pail entirely in disgust, she put both hands on her tiny hips and looked directly at the two men. "Now what do I do?" she said loudly as she then gestured down at the mess. And it was so much like her father, Steve couldn't hide the stunned expression that crossed his face and had to hold back a surprised huff.

But already on the move, Danny had dropped to his knees alongside Gracie and they both worked to refill the broken pail. "First we'll just help you carry it like this and then we'll get a new one tomorrow. Sound like a plan?"

"Okay." She readily agreed as she got to her feet and waited for Danny to join her. But grimacing slightly at the strong twinge of pain across his ribs, he rocked back on his heels before even attempting to get back on his feet. "Ah, Steve? I'm a little stuck here."

Concerned and almost frightened, Grace's eyes widened as she realized he couldn't get up and wasn't even trying. "Danno?"

Walking briskly over, Steve put a calming hand on her head as he passed by to stand behind Danny. "He's fine Gracie. Just needs some help until he's better. Asking for _**help**_ is part of our deal. Right, Danno?"

"Yes, Steven. Now just shut it and get me up." Grinning, Steve put a strong hand under each of Danny's elbows and lifted carefully; letting go as soon as he felt that Danny's legs were securely under him.

"You good now?" Nodding Danny breathed slowly and deliberately as the pain became more bearable. "Can you carry Grace's pail though? _Please_."

Doing a double-take, Steve quickly hid a frown as he grabbed the small pail and urged her back to the house. "Absolutely. I'd be happy to carry all of these fantastic seashells!" But moving unhurriedly, he stayed close to Danny as Grace raced ahead.

Walking in the sand was difficult and Danny not only continued to hold his ribs, but he had to stop twice to catch his breath. Steve hadn't said a word either time and had waited patiently for him to indicate when he was ready to continue. However Danny couldn't bury the return of his humor and his eyes had started to sparkle as they got closer to the house. Frankly, he found the sight of a decorated Navy Seal carefully carrying a small, pink plastic pail full of pretty, little seashells very entertaining. "Very nice pail, Steven."

"Thank you, it's my favorite color." Schooling his features to avoid any type of _face_ that he'd be questioned about, Steve did his best to continue without sounding too concerned about Danny's fatigue. He was also beginning to regret having pulled together the barbecue for that day since it held the potential for too much activity. "When's your next checkup? Maybe we should call the doctor …"

But stopping a third time, Danny was incredulous as he felt a full blown rant rising and almost failed at pushing it down. "Stop. Just let me ask you something."

Still holding Grace's pink pail in two hands, Steve felt he was fully in his rights as he challenged Danny and recognized the pending tirade for what it was. "Okay. Go for it."

"If I don't say anything, you get _annoyed_ for lack of a better word. So _annoyed_ actually, that you become a manic Nurse Rachet."

"Nurse _**Rachet**_?" Steve's eyebrows rose practically to disappear into his now furrowed and almost insulted brow. "Manic?"

"But – and no, let me finish! If I follow your _orders_ and if then I in fact _do_ _ask_ for help, like you've demanded at least a million times, then _**this**_ happens."

"_**This**_?" But having a silencing finger held up in his direction, Steve was hampered by the small pail and could only raise it higher to gesture that Danny could continue. "By all means…"

"Yes, _**this**_! This over-obsessed, over-the-top, over-bearing,_ over-reaction _that seems to always include _**me**_ going to hospitals, being subjected to large, painful needles, and god knows what test, which I say – yet again – you would – you have – persistently avoided, rejected, and ignored multiple times yourself."

As he grew more defensive and buttons were pushed, Steve's temper was beginning to flare. "Well, _**Danno**_, asking for help is out of character for you. I thought maybe something was very wrong."

"I merely didn't want to scare my daughter, _**Steven**_. And you know what, I think I prefer when you're _annoyed_ since Nurse Rachet – as frightening as it sounds - is a safer, warmer soul."

Disgusted with the tone of the conversation and now severe, Steve nearly dropped Grace's pail as his face darkened and he leaned closer to speak to Danny. "You know what? I'm beginning to think I prefer when you don't tell me anything."

"Fine, then we agree." Crossing his arms over his chest, Danny was smug and much too satisfied with himself.

Hesitating since it now felt like a well-orchestrated trap, Steve was speechless as he stared back at him for a moment. He didn't know how they'd wind up at a point where Danny could actually get out of asking him for help or for even going to a doctor and his brain raced to catch up to the point Danny had just effectively made. "Wait. What?"

And as Danny walked past him snickering, Steve was horrified at what had just happened. Still cradling the small pink pail in both hands, he turned to catch up with his partner. "NO, I don't agree to that! _**Daniel**_! This conversation is not over!"

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	21. Chapter 21

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

Summary: Post E Malama. Season 1 Episode 16. Housing Commissioner Bruce Hoffman goes after Danny with a vengeance after Danny threatens him over the Stan issue. Hiring professionals to first obtain Stan's tapes which Danny now has and then to dispose of Danny.

**NOTES: I know I say it a lot, but I really do mean it. Thank you to everyone for enjoying this story so much - and for your comments, positive advice and very kind words. **

**And thanks for your patience in waiting for this next chapter, the muse was befuddled! This was supposed to be the final … but 'best laid plans' .. and all of that! There will be more ….**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

**Chapter Twenty-One – Under the Island**

Kamekona was the party's early bird bringing an enormous tray of his specialty gourmet garlic shrimp and rice. With Steve on the grill and Danny camped out on the Lanai, Grace was in charge of answering the door and ushering everyone in through the house.

Carrying the obviously hot and awkward tray, Kamekona carefully dodged around Grace and made for the yard. "Hey short stuff. Howzit? Howz your daddy?"

"Good. He's resting though." Opening the door wide for the big man, Grace was already having a good time with her official job of Uncle Steve's party hostess.

Pausing by Danny where he was laying flat out on a deep lounge chair, he studied Danny's somewhat tired but mostly very content face. "Look a little pale, even for a Haole, brah." Kamekona noted as he swung past with his prized shrimp. "Howzit? I have some tasty shrimp to make you feel better, bruddah. Only the best of course."

Interrupting as she skipped behind him and he carefully balanced the hot tray, Grace was more than helpful when answering for her father. "We went for a walk on the beach and Danno's tired now. Uncle Steve said he needed to sit for awhile."

Grinning, Danny rolled his eyes and pushed himself up off the chair as he simultaneously tickled Grace into silence. "Yeah, but it's all good. Commander Control-Freak is by the grill no doubt killing our lunch." Raising his voice for Steve's benefit, Danny also spoke more loudly and the distant but clear retort of "_I heard that!_" had him smirking.

But Danny had to admit that the odor wafting from the shrimp laden tray smelled fantastic as his stomach rumbled. "If you need a taste tester, I'd be happy to sample a bit now. You know, before anyone else gets here. Make sure it's palatable."

Smiling grandly and very pleased with the request, Kamekona found space on a table for the tray and quickly dished Danny an overflowing plate. But he'd barely had time to say hello to Steve when Kono came sweeping in, followed soon after by Chin and Malia. And within the hour, Duke and his wife arrived bringing along both June and her mother, Loni.

The boisterous group didn't take long in getting settled comfortably both inside and outside the home, with Danny sitting comfortably with Kono until he checked the time and realized he was late for his afternoon medication. After walking with Grace on the beach and now looking forward to a busy afternoon, he definitely wanted to stay ahead of the pain from his still ailing ribs. Glancing to Steve who was still at the grill, he held back a grin since avoiding _Nurse Rachet's _wrath would be an additional reward.

Rounding the corner into the kitchen for a glass of water, Danny found himself stumbling head-long into June Pane'e. Coming in last from the car, June was well behind everyone else as she carried a large bowl of fruit salad for dessert. Taking extra time to find room for the bowl in the over-flowing refrigerator, she had just slammed the door and was on her way out to the Lanai to catch up to her family.

Hitting the doorframe to the kitchen with his right shoulder, he jarred his ribs and gave out with a startled, "Ow!", as he simultaneously grabbed for June's arms to steady her rebounding sideways lurch into the kitchen counter.

"Easy!" Recognizing her from the restaurant, he quickly searched his memory for her name as he hesitatingly asked, "You're … June, right? Is it June? Are you okay?"

Flustered and with color rising, June nodded as she straightened and took a step backwards. "Yeah. But I should be asking if I hurt you. I seem to do this all the time. I'm so sorry _**again**_." She gave an embarrassed laugh but was also very worried that she'd hurt him.

"You look so much better than the last time I saw you in the hospital. How are you doing?"

"Fine." Already confused, Danny didn't remember ever meeting her before that same week at the restaurant with Steve, Chin and Kono. "You were at the hospital? I hate to say it and now I'm sorry, but I don't remember seeing you there."

"Wow." She breathed out as she studied his face to make sure he was really alright. "I feel like we've known each other forever." Feeling more awkward than ever before, June didn't know what to say and neither did Danny.

Racking his brain, he was coming up empty on ever having actually met the woman. In fact, it had secretly disturbed him that while Chin, Steve and Kono had mentioned June's help on the case, Danny was still in the dark about the connections. He found their easy familiarity with June about his own welfare almost offensive. Lost in thought, he hadn't moved from the doorway, and so was effectively but unconsciously blocking her exit out of the kitchen.

Taking a deep breath and smiling, she held her hand out to start over from scratch and re-introduced herself. "Well, okay then! My name is June Pane'e and it's very nice to officially meet you! I'm Duke's niece. And you're sure that I didn't hurt you just now?"

"No, it's okay. I'm fine." Quiet and distracted, in truth he was back to dwelling on the splintered memory losses which left him uneasy and almost depressed. Moving to the side as they formally shook hands, he then made room for her to pass. "It's good to meet you too. But you obviously know who I am." Smiling politely but sounding just a little sad, Danny held up his medication. "Anyway, I just came in to take these."

Walking around each other neither one wanted to or knew how to continue. Danny didn't really want to ask any questions about what she'd really done. And June wasn't comfortable offering if he wasn't interested or ready. Plus she already felt stupid for once again careening into him by accident. Sighing, she glanced once over her shoulder one more time at Danny who was looking for a clean glass, and then simply started to leave the kitchen.

Finally plating some food from the grill, Steve glanced up and was surprised to see that Danny wasn't sitting where he'd last seen him with Kono. Quickly looking around, he easily spotted Grace with Malia picking through and showing off the prettiest seashells. But Steve realized that Danny wasn't anywhere outside with the rest of the group. Catching Kono's eye, he shrugged with his hands out and pointed to the food; undeniably asking "_where'd he go? he needs to eat. he shouldn't be alone._"

Pointing to the house and grinning at the nursemaid-like behavior, Kono waved as reply and got up to track down their errant friend. Spying June in the doorway to the kitchen, Kono called out. "Hi June. Danny in here too?"

"Yes, he's here." Poking her head back around the corner, June got Danny's attention as he continued his search for a clean glass. "Kono's looking for you."

"What are you two up to?" Kono asked as she gave June a friendly hug. "Steve's on high alert Danny. You're MIA, taking too long and the foods up."

Rolling his eyes dramatically about Steve's almost insufferable concern, he finally found a clean glass and took his medication. "It's impossible to find anything in this place. And by the way, June and I got reacquainted. Right, June?"

Still feeling awkward, June readily agreed with him and started to leave again. "Sure. Yeah. I'll meet you two back outside."

"Uh huh." Stated Kono, as she looked from one to the other in amusement. "June fill you in yet on how she was critical in helping us find you?" Beaming and complimentary, Kono back-pedaled as she could immediately tell that she'd possibly made a mistake and that both were very uneasy about the topic. Recovering and trying to save face, she turned to go with June and was almost apologetic. "Never mind. No worries."

Frowning, Danny sighed and held them up just as they reached the sliders. Running both hands through his hair, he was quiet and thoughtful. Looking through the glass doors at the party that suddenly seemed over-crowded and rowdy, he began to feel unnerved.

Quietly, he asked both, "Can we talk for a minute. Inside, here. Where it's quiet?"

"You bet." Kono said with another glance in Steve's direction. He didn't seem to be looking for them since he was back at the grill and now talking with Duke and Loni. Plus with the glare of the sun on the sliders, there was no way he could see them.

As he moved towards the sofa, Danny was subdued as he breathed out his request. "Why don't you both tell me what happened. All of it."

Kono easily and willingly took the reins first and she broke the ice for June to interject where it felt right. Gently and quietly both explained how June had first bumped into Danny and had her first terrible premonition. Going into how her mother had insisted on visiting Duke, June filled him in on that window of time. The conversation then bounced back to Kono and she described how they'd waded through the bits of information to make solid assumptions that turned into fact.

For the large majority of the conversation, he remained very still as he tried to absorb and believe what he was being told. He was extremely upset about Stan being placed in Hoffman's office and the details around the unexpected shooting. And, he had to hold back his reaction when Kono told him that Steve and Duke had nearly half the force protecting them both in the hospital, plus the Edward's home and then Grace at school. While he was undoubtedly glad for it, the magnitude of the effort just about took his breath away.

Misreading the signals, Kono thought he was upset more about June and her odd revelations. "Really, Danny. It's all true. Without June, we wouldn't have found you at all." Kono's voice was very low and quiet as she re-lived the awful rescue and the horrific scare at the hospital with the drug overdose." More softly, she added with some fear still evident in her voice. "You wouldn't be here right now. I really believe that."

Unable to stop speaking, Kono was determined to get the point across. "She just _**knew**_ and it all came together like pieces in a puzzle." Catching his eye, Kono wanted him to know how important it was that he understand how very critical June had been in saving his life. "Danny, June _**knew**_ when Rousseau had been in the hospital. She _**knew**_ you were in danger."

Finally looking over to the young woman he realized that she was as embarrassed as he was obviously ill at ease. But running both hands nervously through his hair yet again, Danny still remained speechless. He was at a complete loss and June could tell that he didn't understand - and might not even believe - what Kono was describing as her very strong sixth sense.

Sharing yet another common opinion about that, June smiled warmly and then started to laugh quietly at the irony. Hesitating at first, June leaned forward and took Danny's hand and turned it over in her own. He was almost resistant and June could tell he was clearly unnerved. But he allowed her to gently run her fingers over his palm and then intertwined their fingers together.

"You know, I don't get it either and I grew up with this stuff." Rolling her eyes dramatically as her mother huffed in disgust in the chair next to her, June continued. "I can barely convince myself that this happened. Except that the feelings were so very strong and that you were in such terrible danger. I was petrified and I don't even know you."

Grinning as she held his hand, she was at first happy to feel nothing; there were no overwhelming dark or evil feelings to take her breath away. But there was a small niggling feeling of 'something' lurking in the farthest reaches of her mind. A small glimmer of a thing that she couldn't quite identify or put her finger on – it felt simply '_off'_ with Danny. Almost like a deep sadness. And while it certainly wasn't a mortal or a dangerous, deathly feeling as oppressive as her past ones - it was different - '_a new something'_ – and she'd need to ask Loni for advice.

Giving her head a little shake, she memorized the sensation but then pushed it down hard to look through the glass sliders towards Grace as she happily sat with Chin, Malia and Kamekona. June's smile deepened and she let go of his hand to point to his daughter.

"But I'm glad – for whatever the reason. I'm very glad I could help and that it worked out for everyone."

Still without a word, Danny silently followed her line of sight to Gracie and he visibly relaxed and then softened. But there was still something about him that seemed far away and preoccupied. Finally equating part of what he was being told to something he could grasp and identify with regardless of how it had happened, he was honestly able to express his feelings about at least one thing.

"You're right." Letting out a deep sigh and nodding, Danny's thoughts were only of Grace and he smiled widely to appreciate and then accept the possibilities of whatever had saved him from Hoffman's plan and Rousseau's evil. Speaking to June directly, Danny reached his hand out to her with genuine thanks. "I'm glad about it too. Thank you."

"Are you okay, Danny? Really?" Kono said quietly. She had hoped to see him more relaxed, but could still feel the doubt and anxiety in him and had caught the flicker of unease in June's face. "It's a lot."

"I just don't like not remembering. There's so much that's still a black hole and missing." Grimacing, he shook his head in disgust. "And to hear all of this now from you, too? Yeah, it is a lot to take in."

Changing gears, Danny gave June a frank and direct stare. "So, what do you think now?"

"Now?" she stammered in question. But then she indicated his hands when they'd touched and clarified her answer. "Just now, there was absolutely nothing … exactly." Adding quietly, "at least I think so. You're not happy."

"Not happy?" He was almost defensive and was bothered by the unexpected words. "I'm perfectly happy." But before June could offer some sort of explanation, he looked up to see an annoyed Steve coming in from the Lanai.

Smiling freshly and playfully sarcastic, Danny spoke for Steve's benefit. "And here we go again with Nurse Rachet at the helm." So with the sudden interruption and Danny's perplexing change in mood, June kept her mouth shut.

"Nurse what?" Diverted, Kono snorted a laugh with her eyes sparkling. "Hey Steve. We're just getting reacquainted. I promise we're coming now."

Hands on hips, Steve took in the three seated people who had obviously been in deep conversation since two of them seemed at minimum, very flustered. And even with his joking words, Danny actually seemed different – a little less relaxed - even a bit more distant.

"Everything okay?" he questioned cautiously.

"Peachy, Steven. No worries." Danny said casually as he got to his feet and motioned for both June and Kono to go ahead of him and back outside. "And before you channel the very lovely but evil Nurse Rachet, yes I took my meds. I'm ahead of you for a change."

Allowing everyone past, Steve caught up to Kono. "What happened? What did June say?" He was apprehensive himself with the unsettled atmosphere that he'd picked up on in the room.

"He wanted to know about June. All of it from beginning to end. So we told him." Kono explained. "But before you came in, Danny asked her if she felt anything now. Today."

Making a face, Kono nodded towards June's direction and began to whisper. "But she was vague about it. First it was a solid _**no**_ and then she was just vague, for lack of a better word. She wound up telling Danny that he felt unhappy."

"Fantastic." Steve breathed softly. "Not what he needed to hear. And he's been happy all day. What's she talking about?" As his face tightened with concern, Kono put her hand on his arm.

"It's not the same as before. Not nearly. And it's weird that she'd think he was sad. He seems great, especially with Grace around for the weekend."

But watching Danny, Steve could see the subtle changes as he was no longer participating in conversation and now picked half-heartedly at the food he'd piled onto his plate. June was also troubled and was talking to Loni in earnest off to the side.

Wanting to interrogate June and Loni, instead Steve grabbed some food for himself and walked over to sit by Danny. "You okay?" His voice was low and only meant for Danny's ears.

Nodding, Danny forced himself to take a huge bite off his own plate which in turn allowed him to beg off a verbal reply. "Don't want to talk, do you." Steve remarked dryly.

The very short and clipped, "_nope_", made Steve smile but he needed to add reassuring words and assumed June had been the cause. "I'm sure it's nothing with her, Danny. She just wants to help."

Moody, Danny abruptly got up without a word and left a somewhat stunned Steve sitting alone. "Hey, where are you going?"

"For a walk. Keep an eye on Gracie for me." And Danny was off at a slow pace down the beach. Unsure of what to do, Steve had to intercept Grace as she tried to trot after her father. "Not now Grace, your father needs some alone time. Okay?"

Though she was obviously disappointed, Grace did as she was told and sat down by Steve for a moment, before she was off again within seconds to show something else to Malia. Rising with intent to follow Danny, Steve found that he was cut off by both Loni and June.

Loni was warm and welcoming as she firmly pulled him back down to sit. "June told me what happened. He's fine you know. I think June's only picking up on how he feels right now. That, and he's still under the weather."

"Alright." But then Steve couldn't help the mild reprimand that he aimed at June and Kono. "He was better though before you all got together in the house."

Looking down the beach in the direction of the lone figure, he was almost unable to hide his fears. "But is that really it? Nothing like _**before**_, right? Nothing's going to … _**happen**_?"

Feeling terrible about what she'd accidentally done, June tried to reassure him. "No, not at all like that. But he's not happy about something and no matter what else he says, he doesn't feel well yet. After talking to my mother, I'm sure that's what I picked up on. And I guess I really screwed up."

Quickly getting to her feet, June raced off to catch up to Danny. "God, I need an edit button with my stupid mouth. I'll fix it."

Wanting to follow yet again, Steve was stayed by Loni's hand on his arm. "Let her try. He may listen to her."

Baffled by what June had tried to explain, Steve focused on the first part with Loni. "I don't understand what he could be so unhappy about? He's thrilled about Grace being here today. What am I missing?"

But the answer came from above as Kono joined them at the table. "He hates that he doesn't remember anything. He described it as a black hole. He's also having a hard time wrapping his head around what happened and how far things wound up going. Period."

Thinking hard about how Danny might be rationalizing things, Kono nodded to herself as she came up with another possibility. And the realization was now so obvious; Kono was astonished as she voiced it herself.

"I know what it is. He feels responsible and is taking on all the blame. He thought he'd done the right thing with Stan and in trying to scare off Hoffman. Danny thought it would simply 'end'. Instead all of this insanity happened. He put not only himself in danger and almost died, but then Grace and Rachel as well. And then Stan got shot."

"He's beating himself up for what '_could have been_'?" Steve breathed out in disgust. "Well, he's been doing a damn good job of hiding that from all of us."

"Yeah, that and what he created by going after Hoffman in the first place. I think June just called him out on it." Annoyed on his behalf, Kono added angrily. "But he's forgetting what Stan did in the first place. It's really his fault."

Watching the receding figures, Steve could tell that June had since caught up with Danny but he knew that she'd be of little help since he, himself, wasn't sure what to do.

Kono was entirely correct. It was true that Stan Edwards was the real root of the problem and June was merely now a catalyst. But muddled memories or not, Danny felt wholly responsible for setting off the larger and very nasty chain of events by taking the tape and confronting Hoffman face to face. So there was still more to take care of in the self-deprecating world of Danny Williams.

Knowing he'd probably have done the same thing, or even worse in his shoes, Steve could only mutter to himself. "Damn that tone of yours, Danno." Half-heartedly and very much under his breath he added, "And damn Stan Edwards and his stupidity."

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	22. Chapter 22

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

Summary: Post E Malama. Season 1 Episode 16. Housing Commissioner Bruce Hoffman goes after Danny with a vengeance after Danny threatens him over the Stan issue. Hiring professionals to first obtain Stan's tapes which Danny now has and then to dispose of Danny.

**NOTES: Breakfast muse strikes! I intend one more chapter/Epilogue after this. Thank you for enjoying this so much!**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

**Chapter Twenty-Two – Under the Island**

"Hey." June was out of breath by the time she'd caught up to Danny on the beach. For a recovering man with two injured ribs, he was able to get fairly far in a short timeframe. As he finally came to a stop and faced the water, he looked down into big brown eyes that were once again filled with concern for his welfare. Sighing with some resignation, he knew their talk wasn't exactly over; but at that moment he was annoyed by her interruption.

Holding up a finger, he wasn't smiling but he was gentle with his warning. "Do _**not**_ – under any circumstances - say that you're sorry again."

Slowly smiling back, she chuckled. "Fine. I won't. But I don't think we're done talking. I thought maybe it would be easier for you to tell me what's wrong now that we're alone?"

"Not now, June." But when she remained standing near him he found himself becoming defensive again. Bristling with annoyance that he could barely control, Danny managed to keep his voice low, but he was very indignant and abrupt.

"Listen. Like I told you before, I'm perfectly happy. Anyway, it has nothing to do with you now. So why don't you just go back to the party? Please. Just go."

Setting her jaw stubbornly, June's own temper began to take over as he tried to dismiss her away. Crossing her arms, she refused to budge. "I haven't liked this either you know. I didn't ask for this to happen. I heard you in my head all the time and I know what you went through – it was terrible, Danny. So, you may not think it has anything to do with me, but I lived this with you whether you like it or not. So it has everything to do with me – or us – or whatever!"

With her voice quavering at the end of her tirade, June turned away from him as her eyes filled with tears. The emotional strain on her was bad in a different way and to have Danny shut her out completely was unexpectedly painful and traumatic.

"I'm so stupid." She mumbled as she wiped her tears away and then gestured dramatically in the air as she became sarcastic. "You know what? You're right. This is beyond me."

Bewildered by the change in events, Danny stood in wonder as June began to cry harder on the beach. "Are you crying?" He asked inanely, as her shoulders began to shake and a small sob escaped her.

"No." June sniffed immediately and began to madly wipe tears off her cheeks with both hands. "No, I'm not crying. I'm just really angry right now." But looking at him again, she was mortified as she burst into unstoppable tears. "I'm sorry." She choked out in a broken voice.

But finding herself suddenly wrapped in a strong, calming hug, his deep voice resonated from his chest and into her cheek. "You promised not to apologize anymore."

"Can't help it." June continued to cry into Danny's chest and it was the first time she felt secure about his wellbeing since he'd been abducted. Returning the hug by locking her hands around his waist, June kept her eyes closed and listened to him just breathe. He was solid, strong and so very alive .. but still just a bit '_off'_.

"Danny. What's wrong?" she whispered.

Sensing the stress through his arms, June pulled away as he answered her quietly. "It was all my fault – all of it. I tried to do something and brought this all down on us. On me, Stan and now I guess - maybe even on you."

"My uncle said it was because of Stan though and some real estate deal that went bad with Hoffman. So I don't know what you mean. I don't know what you could have done to make this happen. It sounds like this Hoffman would have gone off the deep end regardless."

"Maybe. Maybe not." Danny was back to gazing blankly out at the ocean. But some parts of her innocent comments made sense. The car-jacking had already occurred, the Edward's house ransacked. Those dire warnings were bold and likely had been just the beginning.

If not Danny, Hoffman would have continued a direct assault on Stan that could have god forbid, yet again impacted Grace and with far worse results.

"I don't know anymore." He breathed out slowly and he paled with the thought of what might have happened with a re-directed attack. Suddenly terribly tired, Danny needed to sit and just about crumpled to sit in the sand.

Extremely worried, June sank down next to him. "It's not your fault. Give yourself a break." Rubbing his back, she prodded him to get up. "We should go. Come on."

Getting to her knees, she gently pulled him back up. She could tell he was exhausted and his heavy guilt and confusion was what she'd been sensing. "It's too much for one day. Too much talking – too much remembering. But Danny, none of this was your fault. You only tried to make it right." Nodding, he didn't reply as he allowed June to shepherd him back to the house. As they got closer, Danny stood a little straighter and schooled his features. Finding energy to pick up the pace, he did his best to saunter past everyone. But it was impossible for anyone to have not missed Danny's presence.

"Alright." June whispered as she kept up, but moved a few steps away from him. However, she spared Steve a desperate look as they got to the Lanai and Danny went immediately to the lounge chair. Narrowing his eyes, Steve could tell that Danny was totally wrung out and briefly nodded in understanding to June. And then doing her best not to draw attention otherwise, June casually handed him a bottled water. Sharing a brief look of thanks, Danny leaned his head back and closed his eyes.

Running over Grace grabbed his hand and he was forced to reopen them. "Daddy, are you tired?" She whispered. Quietly handing her the water bottle, he smiled warmly at her. "Hey Monkey! Yeah, just a little bit. Can you try and open this for me?" But in the end and with much giggling, it took the two of them together to get the cap off and he drank almost half the bottle.

Recapping the plastic, Grace made room for herself on his right side as he draped his arm over her shoulders. But as he tried to close his eyes again, he felt a soft hand on his face and then his cheek. Startled, Danny's eyes snapped open and he was almost surprised to see Malia standing over him.

"Malia!" Frowning briefly, he stared over at a guilty looking Chin and was suspicious since Steve was nowhere in sight.

"_Really_?" Danny mouthed to Chin in disgust, as she pulled a chair over to sit next to him. Shrugging innocently, Chin escaped to where Duke and Loni were sitting. "Malia, this isn't necessary …"

Efficiently grabbing the wrist of the hand he'd been emphatically waving in the air, Malia smiled but didn't answer as she checked his pulse and then her hand returned to his forehead. "A bit fast and you're warm."

"I'm … _fine_." Stressing the word and sick of repeating of himself, Danny leaned his head into the cushion in a feeble attempt to avoid her. "It's hot out and I'd think a walk in the sun would make me warm. Don't you think?"

"Hmmm. Could be." Agreeing with him but coyly handing the water bottle back to him, Malia changed the subject. "Grace showed me all the shells you found earlier. I think we looked through that entire pail of hers. Pretty impressive!"

Understanding that Danno was okay and only tired, Gracie was thrilled that the adult conversation had turned to her. Beaming, she chattered on about what she'd found and then showed to Aunt Malia. Both were happy to listen to her as she excitedly explained the special ones that she wanted to keep or take to school.

Peeking out from around Duke's shoulder, Chin caught Malia's easy smile meaning that all was well. Excusing himself for a second from the table, he went to the cooler and got a drink which doubled as the 'all clear' signal to Steve. And as Chin returned to the small group, he almost laughed with Steve smoothly coming out of the house holding June's huge bowl of fruit in front of him like a shield. But neither missed the daggers purposefully aimed their way from Danny.

As the party stretched on, it eventually slowed to a natural lull as people wrapped it up and readied themselves to go home. Steve had begun his cleanup and Danny was now in the driveway saying goodbye to June, Loni and Duke. Spending just a few additional private minutes with June, he sighed and gave her a genuine smile. "This thing you have is certainly something."

"Make sure you rest, okay? There's still that part and you need to get well." Promising to do that, Danny gave her another warm hug. "Just what I need. Another mother-hen."

Laughing quietly, June covered her mouth with her hand and Danny interrupted her teasingly. "Don't you dare say it!"

Waving once as they left in two cars, Danny turned towards the house yawning, winced as his ribs pulled, and tiredly made his way back to the kitchen. Grabbing up a towel, he began to simultaneously pack up left-overs for the refrigerator and then get dirty dishes into the sink.

"Oh no you don't!" Steve snagged the kitchen towel out of his hands. Not liking Danny's pale face and cautious movements, it was obvious that his ribs were aching from the long day. Mentally he was also completely trashed and Steve was insistent that he'd had enough.

"Get yourself and Gracie to bed. I'm not doing all of this now myself and will be right behind you both." Turning him physically towards the living room, he gestured to Grace who was curled up and nearly asleep on the sofa.

"I put her overnight bag on the bed upstairs." Giving him a gentle push, Steve smiled at the state of his two exhausted guests. "Good night, Danno." Too tired to argue, Danny nodded as he urged Grace to her feet and propelled her up the stairs and off to bed.

"Love you, Danno." Grace smiled as she gave him a big kiss, which was immediately followed by an equally large yawn. Stifling one of his own, Danny fluffed her pillows and tucked her in with another kiss on top of her head. "Love you more, Monkey."

And then out before her head hit the pillow, he stayed for a few minutes just watching her sleep. Content, he fixed the blankets one last time before softly closing the bedroom door.

Feeling drained but fighting sleep, he turned to go once more back down to the kitchen. But with bleary eyes, he missed the top step with his foot. Grabbing the hand rail to prevent a total tumble down the staircase, he sat down with a hard thump and badly jarred his already painful ribs and then his lower back. With both arms now folded across his chest, he was breathing hard with tears in his eyes. Barely able to speak from the pain, he only managed to croak out Steve's name.

Unsure he'd heard something; Steve was slow to come out of the kitchen and quietly poked his head around the corner and loudly whispered. "Danny, that you? Need something?"

And then hearing the muffled but very pained "_yeah_", Steve tossed the dish towel to the counter and was up the stairs in an instant. Dropping down in front of Danny, he didn't know where to touch him as Danny rocked back and forth with his eyes closed. "What happened? Did you fall?"

Still only able to whisper from the sharp flare of pain, Danny just wanted to get off the staircase as he shook his head and whispered. "S'okay. Get me up."

Disagreeing, Steve slowly untangled Danny's arms and gently probed his ribs to see if he could feel any new breaks. "No, not yet. Let me see. I can call Malia back?"

Not happy with how pale he'd become, Steve couldn't help but worry as he watched Danny's face for a reaction as he pressed and prodded his side. "You look terrible. Did you hit anything when you fell?"

Hissing as Steve's fingers hit just the right spots, Danny glared at him and slapped his hand away. "Not helping, _Rachet_. Just get me up."

Briefly hesitating, Steve finally nodded and gave in to the demand. "Alright, let's go." Using one arm as a brace across Danny's front so he wouldn't pitch face first down the staircase, Steve lifted and then got him turned around towards the bedrooms.

"Wait." Danny muttered as the change to a standing position brought on a new throb of pain. Biting his tongue, Steve was anxious about what had happened, but didn't say a word. Taking time for the pain to die down, Danny began moving on his own when he felt ready. Still shaky and slightly hunched, his walk was slow and deliberate as he made his way towards the bedroom but he held no complaints about Steve's added support.

"So what happened?" Steve asked warily and feared the inevitable indignant sarcastic reply. Unexpectedly, he was surprised when he got a simple, straight forward explanation.

"Missed the step." Danny was simultaneously both drained and disgusted with himself as he still could only whisper his replies from the abrupt stumble. "Just slipped. It was stupid."

Snorting in sympathy, Steve helped him to sit on the bed and then started to leave the room. "Alright. I'll get your stuff. It's been a long day, D."

Wearily nodding, Danny continued to sit on the bed and hadn't moved an inch when Steve returned. Finding him there, Steve frowned as he held out the two pills and glass of water and simply couldn't help asking again. "You sure that you're okay?"

Distracted by his thoughts, Danny sighed, winced and then took the offered items. "Yeah, thanks." But finally looking up at Steve, he needed absolute confirmation from him. "Was this my fault?" He whispered. "I did this. I made it what it was."

Steve adamantly shook his head and sat on the bed next to him. "No. Danny, it was not your fault. _Stan.._." Not sure what to say about Edwards, he hesitated. "_Stan_ shouldn't have gotten involved in that shady deal in the first place. He's at the center of this entire mess. And Hoffman's reach was farther than anyone knew. You're tired, don't feel well and now you're dwelling. Let it go."

Trying to lighten the mood, Steve leaned into his shoulder and gave him a nudge. "But you do need to watch that tone of yours."

Snorting softly, Danny shook his head in denial. "I do not - and did not - have a tone."

Getting up from where he'd been sitting, he shook his head and grinned at his obviously over-tired and now very sore friend. "Whatever you say, D. But if it makes you feel better, I'd have popped him one myself."

Unsure if Steve meant Stan or Hoffman, he peered up at him. "Which one?" he asked.

With an evil glint in his eye, Steve's sarcastic answer was quick and it made Danny smile. "Both of them. Without a doubt."

Still holding the pills loosely in his hand, Danny's eyes were closing and the water glass was listing haphazardly towards the floor. Retrieving the glass before it could fall and break, Steve prodded him into popping the pills into his mouth. Handing him the water glass, he took it back after Danny swallowed the medication and then started to grin since he still wasn't making a single move to get under the covers.

"Danno, you actually do need to lie down in order to sleep properly." Pulling back the comforter, Steve waited but Danny had zoned out while sitting. Amused with what as almost a repeat of the last time in the restaurant, Steve couldn't help gently chiding him.

"I'm glad we all talked this out. But here we are again with you doing too much." Pulling down the covers even more, and not caring that he was still fully dressed, Steve aimed Danny for the pillows. "No more blaming yourself, D. Now would you just shut up and go to sleep?"

Not getting more than a grunted reply that sounded like a cross between "_whatever_" and "_okay"_, he knew that Danny was virtually already out. Hitting the light switch off, Steve's own nerves were frayed from the day's events. Shaking his head in frustration, he looked at the shadowed figure that was now finally and truly sleeping soundly and more importantly - safely.

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	23. Chapter 23

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

Summary: Post E Malama. Season 1 Episode 16. Housing Commissioner Bruce Hoffman goes after Danny with a vengeance after Danny threatens him over the Stan issue. Hiring professionals to first obtain Stan's tapes which Danny now has and then to dispose of Danny.

**NOTES: BAD BAD BREAKFAST MUSE – BAAAAAAAAAAD! Just when you thought it could end. **

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

**Chapter Twenty-Three: Under the Island**

By the tenth hour, Steve was checking on him every thirty minutes. Gracie had been up since barely eight that next morning and he'd already fixed her a light breakfast of cereal and fruit. But Danny was still blissfully asleep and it was now nearing ten. Catching her questioning eyes again and hearing the long suffering sigh, Steve could only shrug and chuckle at her annoyance with her sleepy father.

"Well I don't know what to tell you!" And then checked his watch to mentally tally up now nearly eleven full hours and trotted back upstairs to see if Danny was actually still breathing.

This time, Steve noted that he'd at least changed position, but his loud whisper of, "_Danny_!" from the doorway still went totally unanswered. Creeping in, he leaned over the heavily blanketed shoulder in an attempt to see his face. "Hey, you alive in there?"

Buried deeply under the blankets and pillows, Danny for his part was just slowly waking up from a hard, dreamless and very satisfying sleep. He was just a little achy from his little _issue_ with the stairs the previous evening, but other than that was very well-rested. Hearing Steve's voice sounding off in his ear the first thing in the morning wasn't however, what he'd expected.

So his muffled and obviously offended reply had Steve chuckling. "I wasn't aware that waking the peacefully slumbering patient was a new demonic feature of Nurse Rachet."

"Gracie made me do it. You've been sleeping more than eleven hours straight. That's a long time, even for you. Unless of course you simply don't plan on getting up today?"

Peeling off the blankets, Danny blinked at him in disbelief and made his way out of the bed. Looking down at his rumpled clothing, he was bewildered. "Eleven HOURS? And why am I still dressed?"

Grinning, Steve stood back with his arms folded. "Uh. You're efficient?" But becoming serious and as he heard Grace pounding up the stairs, Steve said. "Truthfully, you needed it."

Taking Danny in from head to toe, he was also gratified to see a healthier coloring and lack of stress in his face. "And you actually do look – _better_. It's doubtful of course, but maybe one day you'll learn to take it easy."

Snorting at the choice of words from the least likely cooperative patient in the entire world, Danny raised his eyebrows mockingly. "You're going to school me about taking it easy? Really? Do you _**really**_ want to leave yourself _that_ open this early in the day?"

Raising one finger in retort, Steve was unable to get any further as Grace bounded into the room. But he gave Danny's comical "_come on and try it_" expression a challenging grin.

"Finally!" She exclaimed from the doorway as she launched herself across the bed and bounced on her knees in the middle. "You've been sleeping forever."

Immediately brightening, Danny could only agree with his excited daughter. "I know! And I bet you ate breakfast already too." Looking at Steve, he smirked. "Hopefully not cookies and a Longboard?"

Screwing up her face since it certainly didn't sound good, Gracie was confused as she looked from Danny to Steve. "A what?" Innocently she added, "I had cereal."

Using his child against him, Steve pointed to Danny as he spoke directly to Gracie. "Danno wants to know if you had beer for breakfast."

Making an awful face for her father's benefit, Grace gave out with a long and loud "eww!" This was soon followed by a dramatic flop on the bed that included fake gagging sounds and it had them all laughing.

Steve easily found a few ways be scarce the rest of the day so father and daughter had enough space and private time. Begging off to focus on his car project, Steve was more than happy to busy himself in the garage with the ongoing restoration of the '74 Mercury.

"Just let me know when … you know.. she needs to go back." Gesturing towards Grace, he frowned and stumbled over his words. He hadn't realized how difficult it was to have to take her back … to another house. He didn't like saying it as 'Uncle' Steve and it was yet another realization about Danny's never-ending supply of resilience that he'd file away.

But already reconciled to the process, Danny smiled over to him as they finished lunch out on the Lanai. He was eventually going to have to repay Steve somehow for far too many things to count – only one of which was the unexpected time with Grace that weekend - as he stated sincerely, "thank you. Again."

Grinning widely, Steve's only response was a very pleased. "Any time."

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

Danny awoke on Monday feeling even better and finally believed he was on a real road to recovery. He was scheduled for a two o'clock doctor's appointment which he hoped would be his last as well. And if it were, Danny was planning on insisting that he get over to his apartment to start on what would be a dreary and depressing cleanup of the mess created by Rousseau. He was also tired of being shuttled around and wanted his wheels; it was definitely time enough to get back to his own, normal routine.

Still on supposed 'sick leave', Danny had joined the team in the office for the day and had announced himself officially on desk duty. Strolling into Steve's office after lunch and making himself comfortable on the leather couch, he broached the subject.

"After this appointment, I'd like to swing by my place and see how bad it is." Hesitating briefly, added, "And then, take it from there."

Steve replied without looking up as he continued to rifle through case papers on his desk. Searching for a particular piece of evidence, he was distracted but readily agreed. "Sure thing." Pushing back from his desk and still appearing to be preoccupied, he went to the cabinet and pulled another file hoping that the document would be in the second sleeve. Finally finding what he wanted, he sat back down and reassembled the paperwork in the first file and closed it neatly.

Checking the time, Steve leaned back in the chair and checked the time. "We'll leave in a few minutes."

"So what's the case?" Danny asked gesturing towards the file on Steve's desk.

Pausing only because he didn't want Danny getting too involved yet, Steve described the facts. "Homeless person found a decomposing body in an abandoned warehouse over the weekend. Looks like it's about a month old. Possible homicide. Chin and Kono are at the crime scene now with the unit."

"But you're on leave, so there's not much else for you to know or get involved with, right?" Steve chuckled at Danny's disgusted expression and pointed stare.

"Desk duty, Steven. Not leave. There's no reason why I can't see the files, help on certain aspects of the investigation and make a few calls from my office." Thoroughly bored and now curious by the brief descriptions of the new case, Danny was immediately intrigued.

Shaking his head, Steve quickly countered the statement firmly as he got up. "_**Leave**_, my friend until the doctor says otherwise. And by the way, it's time to go. "

An hour later, Danny smirked as he made a grand show of handing Steve a doctor's note proving he could manage light desk duty for the next two weeks.

"Really, Danny. You brought me out a doctor's note?" Arching his eyebrow and turning the letterhead over in his hand, Steve just about glared at Danny who was grinning happily down at him.

Leaning over Steve's shoulder as he sat in the doctor's office, he pointed to the formal signature and then traced it with his finger. "And look, it's signed too. Desk duty. Approved. Beginning tomorrow." Clapping Steve soundly on the shoulder, Danny was already moving out the office's main doors. "Let's go to that warehouse."

"Note says tomorrow in case you've forgotten that already. And going to the warehouse doesn't exactly count as desk duty, D." Steve laughed as he pocketed the note and followed him out the door. But wanting to see it for himself and before the scene was broken down, he agreed. A walk-through wouldn't be too much for either of them and it would help Chin and Kono.

The warehouse and parking lot were cordoned off with yellow police tape and the buzz of activity was in full swing when they drove up. Chin was with a second unit investigating in and around a lone black van that was near a side entrance to the warehouse. Kono was interviewing the homeless woman who had only wanted to squat the weekend. Not getting too much more than that from the nervous woman, Kono thanked her and watched her scurry off down an alley.

"What brings you two here?" She asked, but was happy to see them both. Nodding towards Chin and the van, she explained. "Van's been abandoned so it could be related to our victim inside. There's blood on the driver's seat of the van and in the back on the floor."

Walking into the warehouse, Steve and Danny listened to her precise run-down of what she'd observed so far. "Older guy. Been here a while from the looks of things. His hands are zip-tied in the front, so he was taken and then killed. But from his position, I can't tell if there was a struggle or even how he died yet."

Sighing, she bent down over the body and covered her nose discreetly from the odor. "Max is on his way over."

Danny looked briefly around the warehouse. "Well, there's nothing here. Place is abandoned so he's obviously been dumped." Wandering towards the exit, he motioned towards Chin who was outside. "I'll see what he's found so far with the van."

His pace slowed as he approached the dark vehicle and he frowned to himself for no apparent reason. "Hey, so the van is the vic's?"

Smiling, Chin stopped what he was doing. "Appointment went well I see! Good."

"Seems reasonable but we don't know yet. Vehicle registration and a few receipts were in the glove compartment. We can have DMV run them back at the office. But so far, the plates aren't reported as having been stolen." Continuing the rundown for Danny's benefit, Chin walked towards the back of the van where the double-doors were open. "We've collected a few blood samples for the lab to check out."

Looking through the vehicle and into the empty black space, Danny paused again with an uncomfortable feeling and still wasn't sure why. There was something vaguely familiar and yet, not. Two crime scene investigators were hunched over inside the small area blocking his access, so he went back to stand by Chin. As Chin continued the brief summary, they watched as one of the investigators bagged a small quantity of zip ties found haphazardly tossed under the passenger seat. The second was busy bagging partially smoked cigarette butts for DNA analyses.

"Are those what I think they are?" Danny found himself stuttering, as his felt a chill run down his back and his hands suddenly felt clammy and cold. The investigator held up the evidence as he made his notes on the property.

"Zip ties." Shrugging, the man moved off and deposited it in the evidence tote.

As Chin noticed the subtle changes in Danny, he made a face. "You okay, Danny? Something wrong?"

Waving him off, Danny shook his head but had become noticeably anxious and unsettled. Needing to breathe and feeling tired, he wanted only to get away from the van for a moment. "Yeah, I'm fine. But tell Steve I'm going to wait for him in the truck, okay?"

"You sure?" Concerned with the sudden transformation in Danny's demeanor and interest level, Chin walked with him to Steve's truck. "Do you need anything?"

"Just got a weird feeling." With nothing else forthcoming, Danny got in the truck and slammed the door leaving Chin standing helplessly outside. Giving him a quick smile, Danny muttered out the window. "I'm fine. Take your time. Really, Chin. Just fine."

As he turned back towards the van, Chin met up with Steve and Kono who were just coming out of the warehouse. And Max had pulled up as well to examine the body and begin his own detailed investigation. So before Chin could speak to both of them, Kono had changed direction to meet up with Max and to escort him back into the building.

Briskly walking over to Steve, Chin pulled him over for a private conversation and handed him the paperwork from the van's glove compartment. "Here's the registration and related documents from the vehicle. It's not been reported stolen and the registration is in the name of a Carlos Alfonso, sixty-six. He's a local based on the address."

Concerned, he nodded towards Steve's truck. "But something's up with Danny. He's in your truck. Said he's fine and that we should take our time. I'm not sure what just happened though."

Glancing up, Steve was surprised. "He's where?"

"We were by the van and some of the evidence seemed to freak him out. Especially a bag of zip ties that an investigator had bagged from under the front seat."

With a sudden intake of breath, a light bulb went off sharply in Steve's head. "Zip ties?" Looking once toward his truck, Steve stalked over to the black van and demanded to see the evidence bagged thus far. Examining the opened bag of zip ties, he grimaced. "Where were the blood samples found? I want the results run ASAP on those samples and the results reported to me only."

Startled now by Steve's altered mood, Chin merely nodded. "Alright. But what are you thinking? Do you think Danny knew this victim?"

But pinching the bridge of his nose with his fingers, Steve was almost sickened by the thought. "No. Not the victim. It's this van."

Walking around to the rear, he peered in and frowned at the empty interior. It was perfect for a kidnapping and he listened silently as Chin pointed to where the blood samples were taken from. "Back of the seat on the driver's side and here on the floor of the van."

Making strident demands once more as he walked away to his truck, Steve was authoritative. "We'll be at the office. But I want those blood sample results sent to me directly and as quickly as possible, Chin."

And as the realization dawned on him as well, Chin visibly paled. "Yeah, okay. You got it."

Jogging over to his truck, Steve's mind was racing. With his hand on the door, he first studied Danny quickly through the opened window to decide what he'd need to say or do based on his partner's mood.

"You done already?" Came the muttered question. It was a little subdued but nothing severe enough to warrant discussion. Deciding not to get too into it for the time being and desperately wanting the results of the blood samples first, Steve opened the door and tossed the vehicle registration and other documents to Danny.

"We're going back to the office. Here's your desk duty job. Kono's with Max and we can't do much more until he finishes his part of the investigation." Forcing himself to relax, Steve started the truck and left the warehouse grounds. And Danny's reply was essentially normal, but very brief and came with just a short lopsided grin.

"Perfect. DMV. Right up my alley."

Within the hour, Danny had completely summarized the victim's profile and had tossed his findings on Steve's desk. Whatever had been bothering him before had also passed and his review was all standard Danny.

"As you know already, the registration on the van is for Carlos Alfonso, age sixty-six. A local. Widower. His wife passed two years ago. He was a retired longshoreman and has been working part-time as a bakery truck drive for the last nine months."

Continuing quickly, Danny didn't need to read from his notes. "Bakery said he missed work for the first time about a month ago. Until then, he was punctual. He was well-liked, but they had assumed he'd gotten bored and simply walked off the job. Odds are that Max will ID him as our victim."

Sitting down on the couch, Danny seemed fine. But Steve was inwardly counting the seconds to get the results from the lab. "That would make sense. We've got nothing from Max yet, but it's much too early. How about we get out of here and call it a day until tomorrow?"

Agreeing, Danny started to say something about going to his apartment, but decided against it. One more night at Casa McGarrett certainly wasn't going to hurt. And for his part, Steve was again surprised but pleased the question hadn't been broached; but that was equally worrisome. Silently and still walking like glass around unspoken worries, the two left the offices for the day.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

Steve's cell phone rang while Danny was out on the Lanai leafing through a magazine. Dusk had fallen but neither had brought up their mutual concerns verbally. However, each knew that the other had suspicions. Checking to make sure that he hadn't moved, Steve took the call from Chin in the kitchen. "Are the results in?" He asked anxiously.

The stress in his voice was undeniable and Steve was immediately on guard. "You aren't going to believe this, Steve." Chin stammered for a minute and was unsure how to say the next few words. His intake of breath on the other side of the line was unmistakable.

Upset and stunned, Chin stated bluntly. "Danny's. Steve, the sample from the floor of the van is a match for Danny. So yeah, it is the van Rousseau used that night. And the blood on the back of the seat matches the victim and the van's owner, Carlos Alfonso."

Running his hands over his face, Steve was distressed by the hateful news. "So, they killed Alfonso and dumped him at the warehouse. Then they used his van to transport Danny. And for whatever reason, discarded the van back on the property when they were finished."

Groaning, Steve felt like screaming. "A perfect place too. Look how long it's taken for both the body and the vehicle to be found."

Before Steve could make any further demands, Chin was all over the next steps. "I have the crime scene unit scouring that vehicle for anything and everything related to Rousseau's accomplices. If there's anything, we _**will**_ find it. The cigarette butts will have DNA on them and the good news is …Carlos Alfonso didn't smoke."

Ending the call, Steve went out and softly pulled a chair up to sit outside next to Danny.

"So?" Danny breathed out as he stared out into the dark water. Studying his hands, Steve couldn't at first meet his eyes as he answered him briefly. "Yeah. It is. It's the van."

Leaning his head back into his chair, Danny sighed loudly as he closed his eyes.

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	24. Chapter 24

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

Summary: Post E Malama. Season 1 Episode 16. Housing Commissioner Bruce Hoffman goes after Danny with a vengeance after Danny threatens him over the Stan issue. Hiring professionals to first obtain Stan's tapes which Danny now has and then to dispose of Danny.

**NOTES: doing this and actually needing to WORK (while at work) – haha – is stopping me lately from responding to your emails and messages. But I will – thanks for your patience and kind words about the ongoing plot bunny!**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

**Chapter Twenty-Four: Under the Island**

Things had slowly been escalating for Danny as he internalized his growing anxieties after the trip to the warehouse. The van had triggered overwhelming feelings of dread and he began to remember painful bits and pieces of the attack from when he'd been dragged out of his apartment. By the time Steve had spoken to Chin and joined him outside, Danny was about to have a full blown panic attack.

"I can't do this anymore, Steve." With his eyes closed, Danny whispered words about his broken thoughts that Steve never thought he'd hear. _Ever_. "I can't remember a lot of things but what I do remember now… let's just say it's not good. And I can't deal with this happening again."

Leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, Steve rubbed his burning eyes and propped his chin on his hands. Studying Danny, he scowled at the tension in his body. "We're going to fix this together. All of us."

"No." Struggling now, Danny's agitated reply was at first soft but his voice began to become harsh as it increased in volume. "No. There's nothing to fix."

"No? What do you mean _no_? Of course …" Getting up from his chair, Steve had his hands on his hips as he towered over Danny. "This is a solid lead. We'll have results on the DNA tomorrow and we'll get these guys …"

Cutting him off sharply, Danny jerked off the lounge chair in anger and pushed past rudely. Almost shouting now, his movements had similarly become frantic. "_**No**_, Steven. It means no. Plain and simple. I'm done. I can't …no, I won't do this anymore."

Not giving a chance for Steve to reply, he abruptly stalked off the Lanai and into the house. But turning in the doorway, his face was ashen in the fading light and he gestured wildly with his right hand. "I want you to drop the case. All of it. Don't look for them. It's not worth it."

"Danny!" Steve ran into the house after him practically on his heels. "We're not dropping this. Danny!" Grabbing his arm, Steve stopped and spun him around. "What's wrong with you?"

"It's too much. Let him win. Let him have it." Staggering backwards and beginning to shake uncontrollably, Danny wrenched his arm away and stared at Steve in a breathless panic.

"I remember just enough. Just _enough_ where I need you to please back off." Anger turning to utter fear, Danny pleaded with him as he started to breathe harder and his voice became hoarse and raspy. "No. I'm not going to make the same mistake again. I won't let it happen again."

Refusing to listen, Danny continued to back up irrationally as Steve approached across the living room. Frowning at the spontaneous reaction, Steve was unprepared as he stopped and put both hands up in surrender to try and reason with him.

"Hoffman's done, Danny. He's going to be put away for a long time. He's not going to hurt any of us. Not you, me, Kono and not Chin. And he absolutely will never get anyone near Grace or Rachel. If he dares to even think about either of them, we'll know about it."

Undeniably furious, Steve was additionally stunned by the rapid transformation and what he began to recognize as a post traumatic stress response triggered most likely by seeing the van earlier in the day. Assessing him hastily, he could tell that Danny was just about out of control, jumpy and beginning to hyperventilate.

Needing to calm him before things got more drastically out of hand, Steve quickly changed tactics. Physically backing up slowly to give him more space, Steve lowered his voice and nodded.

"Alright. We'll stop … for now. But I promise nothing will happen and I need you to trust me on that."

Hesitating before nodding just once, Danny realized that his hands were shaking badly and stared at them as if they weren't part of him any more. "What is this?" He whispered.

Heaving a sigh, Steve took the opportunity to close the distance between them. Grabbing both of Danny's shoulders he could feel the tremors and fear rolling off his body. Giving him a solid shake, Steve could only do his best to anchor and persuade him.

"Listen to me, I promise it will be okay. Nothing is going to happen. Nothing." Repeating his words, Steve was adamant and put as much feeling as he could to get his point across. "Trust me that we are going to fix this together."

But even with Steve's vows of safety and trust, the nightmares started that night.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

He was fighting hard to live, but Danny knew he was drowning and that he was going to die. His eyes were open but he couldn't see anything but dark, cold murky water. Looking up, the glimmer of sunlight was too far away and instead of being able to kick upwards or use his arms to swim, he was sinking fast. The light was slowly receding to a pinpoint and he panicked. Opening his mouth to yell for help, he inhaled lungful after lungful of cold, painful sea water. Unable to breathe, Danny knew he was finally dying.

But somewhere in the distance he could hear his name being desperately shouted. It could have been Steve, or June Pane'e, or maybe even Grace, but he wasn't sure. And then he was stunned by a sharp flash of pain across his face; not once but twice and then again even stronger. Choking, he tried to escape from a new source of helplessness as another sudden pain hit the center of his chest.

Steve heard the first strangled cry well after two in the morning. Bolting out of bed, he found Danny tangled in the bed sheets, struggling vainly as he lay on the floor. Hyperventilating in his sleep, he was gasping for breath and his lips were almost blue.

"Danny! Wake up!" But as the breathing became harsher and more labored, Steve was forced to first shake him hard and then slap him across the face multiple times.

Growling in fear, Steve was beside himself. "Damn it, Danny. Wake the hell up!" Working swiftly, Steve untangled him from the bedding as he continued to shout his name. Heaving Danny's legs up, he elevated them on the balled up sheets.

"Danny! Open your eyes." As he used his right fist to knuckle his sternum hard, Steve finally was able to rouse him enough to at least get his frightened eyes open. It then took a few terrifying seconds for Danny to settle on Steve's face.

"Good. Now breathe for me. Just breathe slowly, Danny. Look at me and breathe."

Chanting over and over, Steve got him fully awake and aware enough to understand that he'd had a horrible and terrifying dream. As he continued to choke, Danny's color was slow to return to normal and he made no effort to move as he limply lay on the floor. "Cave. Water." He mumbled in fear. "I was … _drowning_."

Mortified, Steve got a pillow and lifted his head to shove it under him. "No, Danny. You aren't drowning. You're okay now. It was a nightmare and you hyperventilated … badly. Jesus, you just scared the crap out of me."

Rocking back on his heels, Steve rubbed his face with both hands and then leaned forward to keep Danny prone. With his right hand planted on his chest, he could too easily feel Danny's heart pounding erratically through the sweat-drenched t-shirt he was wearing. "Just stay down and try to relax. You with me now?"

"Yeah." Danny rasped out as he tried to focus and push the horrific memories away. Covered in sweat and shaking, he moaned as he searched for Steve's hand. "I'm freezing. Why's it so cold in here?"

Pulling blankets off a chair, Steve bundled him up on the floor. "Adrenalin's wearing off. You're blood pressure is probably all over the map too." Checking his pulse and not happy about the continued rapid and irregular breathing, Steve wasn't sure what to do. "Maybe we should get you to the hospital."

But startled by the suggestion, Danny started to struggle in a new attempt to escape. Needing two hands, Steve could still easily hold him in place on the floor but he was almost unable to calm him the second time. "No! No hospital. Let me up!"

"Easy! Hey - okay, no hospital." As he once again felt Danny's heart pounding through his hands, Steve shook his head in frustration.

"Danno, we're going to have to deal with this and quickly buddy. You do realize this is happening because seeing the van triggered memories?"

Now sitting on the floor next to him, Steve knew that Danny needed to confront the trauma head on. "You just had the mother of all panic attacks."

Sagging back down, Danny closed his eyes and whispered. "But I can't do it. It's happening all over again." Defeated, he shuddered under Steve's hands. "I can't. I've made too many mistakes. It's never going to stop."

"Yes, you can. And you will." The words were a quiet ultimatum. Steve's military training and experiences with the trauma unfortunately ran deep.

"Like I said before and I'll say it a million times if I have to - you need to trust me, D. We will _**all**_ fix this together. But we can't drop the case, buddy. There's too much at stake and we need to put it to rest - permanently."

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	25. Chapter 25

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

Summary: Post E Malama. Season 1 Episode 16. Housing Commissioner Bruce Hoffman goes after Danny with a vengeance after Danny threatens him over the Stan issue. Hiring professionals to first obtain Stan's tapes which Danny now has and then to dispose of Danny.

**NOTES: warning about medical stuff – it's just that – "stuff". So nope, I'm not a doctor and this is all morphed into fairly believable jargon (hopefully). I'm not taking PTSD lightly by any means and used various sources to be as factual as possible. But it's still all fiction, folks! Please enjoy the story!**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

**Chapter Twenty-five: Under the Island**

Bruce Hoffman's attorney silently accepted the small slip of paper with the strange scribblings and alphanumeric numbers and placed it carefully in his briefcase. He saw but blatantly ignored his employer's sick gleeful smile for they had played similar games before. Inwardly he did register that it was more malevolent than in the past. But with no technicalities to leverage and such strong evidence already logged against him, Hoffman would likely be spending unwanted time in jail. And so with nothing to lose now, he had begun to change and his twisted desires were more malicious.

"You know what I want of course." The game always included the unnecessary statement. And the attorney always nodded in the affirmative and without replying. Two weeks from now and with no knowledge of any of the details, he'd find a hefty sum in his private Swiss accounts and that's all that concerned him.

The indictment had come down that morning and he expected the district attorney to file a statement of readiness for the actual trial. With the volume of evidence against Hoffman and pending testimonies, there would be no delays and the defense team would merely be bartering only for reduced sentencing and fines. Bruce Hoffman would, without a doubt, be serving significant time. But if anyone assumed that he didn't still have any power from behind jail house bars, then they were going to be sorely mistaken.

After leaving his client, the attorney went to his hotel room and used a disposable cell phone to call the number he was given by Hoffman. Reciting the series of alphanumeric numbers, he went to end the call by clearly speaking two names: "Williams and Edwards".

But oddly and for the first time, the voice listed back a short series of numbers followed by the letter "R" which the attorney wrote down in his notepad. That hadn't happened before and he frowned, but he would give the brief information back to Hoffman during his next visit.

Going into the small bathroom, he used the hotel room's ashtray and watched Hoffman's original small slip of paper burn to a crisp until it was no more.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

Steve flinched as he remembered saying nearly the same words to Danny so many months ago and about Chin when the team was first formed. At the time, Danny had ridiculed Steve about not insisting Chin take personal time to deal with his HPD issues. Steve had countered that Chin needed to get through the tough times.

"Chin, even his counselor agrees. He's got to confront this in order to move past it. It's a tough love method." Arguing quietly in Steve's office, Chin was firmly against Danny attending the first day's arraignment at the court house. In fact, the Governor had willingly begged off any Five-0 participation as unnecessary; Danny's deposition had previously been taken privately in order to avoid courtroom trauma.

However, Danny wanted to at least be there when Hoffman was brought in before the jury – he wanted to see him in cuffs for himself.

"He asked first. And it's a good idea. If there's another flashback then we'll deal with it." Watching Danny nervously pace the length of the corridor through his office window, Steve and the team were on their second week of helping him through post traumatic stress brought on first by identification of the abandoned black van used in his kidnapping. And then the day after it was made alarmingly worse when the crime lab positively identified the DNA on the spent cigarette butts from the floor of the van.

When the mug shots for Jim Rourke came up on the table display, Danny had a major second panic attack in the middle of the Five-0 offices. That time, he had hyperventilated so severely, he had passed out and they had to call 911 to settle his vitals.

Sleepless and becoming increasingly upset, Danny began to re-experience certain horrifying flashbacks where he felt like the violent attack and kidnapping was happening over and over again. His dreams were just as vivid where he was always drowning and by the third day, Steve had insisted on professional counseling and had pulled a massive amount of strings for Danny to see one particular doctor from the Naval base.

With the specialized help and his own experiences, Steve only knew one way to get Danny over the trauma – and that was to confront and deal with it. And since both friends agreed that treatment would never include drug therapy, Danny put his entire trust in Steve's ability to restore his control and rid his mind of the powerful traumatic memories. Chin however, very strongly disagreed with the tactics.

Scowling, Chin was angry with the decision about attending the trial. "What about June? She's been calling Kono almost every day saying he feels "_off_" again. Kono said that when she called this morning, her voice was even more stressed than before."

"I know." Steve muttered. "But the point of the matter is June says it's just "_off_". She's not sensing any apparent danger. Danny's on edge and June's all over those emotions. Today is going to be worse than the last few days for obvious reasons."

Sighing, he shook his head and then gave a short, harsh laugh. Last night's terrifying dreams had both up for hours. Brought on by the pending plan for the day at the court house, Danny's anxiety was off the charts but he was managing it. "No. I'm not surprised June called this morning. But I agree with Danny. He should go if even for a few minutes."

"Fine. Okay." Chin threw one hand in the air in frustration. "I get what you're all saying. But it's too soon and too public. What if he loses it in the court room? It will do much more harm for him than any good."

"I'm going." The quiet and definitive words cut through Steve's offices sharply as Danny opened the door and motioned to Steve. "Now. We should go over now." Turning abruptly, he didn't wait for Steve to catch up.

Grabbing his keys, Steve quickly strode past Chin and warmly squeezed his shoulder as he passed by where he was seated. "I'll call you. It'll be okay. Keep looking for Roarke. We need to find out where he is– his last known location. Anything."

"Kono's got something. I think she said the FBI had him on a watch list in Boston. We'll stay on it until we track him down for sure." Chin slowly followed Steve as far as the table and watched him jog down the stairs. "Count on it." He said aloud and before entering Kono's office to review her research.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

Danny sat quietly in the passenger seat of Steve's truck willing himself to breathe slowly. But he was warring internally over what Chin had said about maybe losing it publically if he saw Hoffman. "Please don't let it happen." He muttered to himself, as he glanced to his right and saw Steve hurrying over to the truck. "Not today."

"You good?" Steve asked offhandedly, as he started up the truck and left the parking lot. Danny was dressed impeccably as always, but Steve could feel the stress pouring off him. Pale and beginning to shake, he began to wonder if Danny would be able to make it for even five minutes.

And the clipped reply barely gave him any faith in that happening. "Sure."

Setting the scene for Danny, he hoped to give him some relief by having a plan. "We're sitting in the back by the door. Hoffman comes in and you can decide how long you want to stay. We can leave at any time. Frankly, if it's only for a couple of minutes that will be fine with me." Glancing over, he looked at Danny's shaking hands and ashen, sweaty face. "Danny, I will seriously drag you out of there myself if you can't make that decision."

Distracted and not paying attention, Danny's eyes darted around nervously from car to car as they stopped for a traffic light. He had to consciously stop himself from slouching down in the seat while pedestrians crossed the street.

"Yeah. Sure." He repeated. But he was unable to stop his breathing from beginning to sound more ragged even in his own ears. He definitely couldn't stop the sharp intake of breath when a strong feeling of dread followed by nausea settled in the pit of his stomach. And then he nearly bolted out the passenger door when a car horn sounded off as someone ran a red light.

Angrily, Steve pulled over to the curb after going through the intersection. Putting the truck in park and letting it idle, he grabbed Danny's arm painfully and forced his attention. "Knock it off. Okay? Just stop psyching yourself out."

"Yeah." Danny said, as he made a strong concerted effort to control his breathing. "Sorry. I can do this." The statement lacked some conviction, but he was determined to stick to the plan and at least see Hoffman in the court room.

"I know you can. Remember that we aren't staying either." Saying it twice, Steve smiled as he punched him lightly in the shoulder and then pulled away from the curb. "You can certainly do this."

Shortly after arriving, Steve and Danny were sitting shoulder to shoulder as planned in the low benches nearest the main double doors to the court room. Danny's eyes remained closed until everyone stood as the judge entered and the trial was called to order. Occasionally, Steve glanced over to make sure he was coping and nodded reassuringly.

Shortly after the judge arrived, a cuffed Bruce Hoffman was escorted in through the side doors by two uniformed officers and seated by his defense team. And everything was fine for Danny until Hoffman blatantly turned around and directly looked at him with a sneeringly bold smile. The look lasted mere seconds but the hatred was unmistakable and the challenge was clear.

"_Sonofa bitch_." Steve muttered in shock and was with him the moment he felt Danny try to struggle to his feet in alarm. Grabbing his forearm, Steve forced him to stay seated for a moment. Hoffman just didn't need to realize what was happening – he didn't need the satisfaction.

Steve's voice was strong and authoritative. So much so, Danny actually broke away from Hoffman's stare to look at him with wide-eyes. Steve could feel him shaking through his hand and knew he needed to get him out of the court room quickly.

"Slowly. Get up easy and we go now. Don't look at him again." Rising in one fluid motion, Steve got between the line of sight and quickly propelled Danny out the doors and then the building before he could go to pieces.

But the damage was sadly done and Hoffman continued to grin after the two Five-0 officers were long gone. With Williams slowly unraveling, his plan would be much easier to implement than he first had thought.

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	26. Chapter 26

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

Summary: Post E Malama. Season 1 Episode 16. Housing Commissioner Bruce Hoffman goes after Danny with a vengeance after Danny threatens him over the Stan issue. Hiring professionals to first obtain Stan's tapes which Danny now has and then to dispose of Danny.

**NOTES: warning about medical stuff – it's just that – "stuff". So nope, I'm not a doctor and this is all morphed into fairly believable jargon (hopefully). I'm not taking PTSD lightly by any means and used various sources to be as factual as possible. But it's still all fiction, folks! Please enjoy the story!**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

**Chapter Twenty-six: Under the Island**

It happened during her second morning meeting and June Pane'e spilled her coffee cup all over her writing pad as she stood shakily. "Excuse me." She mumbled as she grabbed napkins to dab up the mess. "I need to go." And she was out the conference room doors before anyone had a chance to ask if she was ill.

Walking quickly to her small office, June dumped her things and grabbed her purse and car keys. And as she passed by the receptionist, she hesitated briefly and then barely heard the woman's affirmative reply and wishes to feel better as she rushed out of the building. "Please tell Ron I don't feel well and needed to leave early."

By the time June got in her car the feelings were terrifying and severely overwhelming. She could once again sense a feeling of dread around Danny that made her want to run and hide. But this time other feelings bounced around between what seemed to be the ocean, sparkling lights and a pitch black, oppressive space. Unsure if she could even drive safely over to Five-0 since she was now shaking so badly, she yanked her cell phone out of her purse and dropped half its contents onto the floor of the car. She was in complete hysterics as she speed-dialed Kono for the second time that day.

And Kono was on the phone with June when Chin entered her office and he sat quietly as he listened to the overly long and one-sided conversation. He could tell by Kono's voice and reactions that June was crying and that things may have escalated.

After twenty minutes, Kono was finally able to end the call with her distraught friend but then reached for her keys and a few work items. "I'm picking her up right now from her office and then bringing her back here. She's in no shape to drive."

"Do I want to know?" Chin asked, as he saw Kono dial Steve's cell phone number. And it of course wasn't answered and went to voicemail since he was at the courthouse with Danny.

"Damn it." She sighed, and then left an urgent message. "Steve. I need you to call me or Chin as soon as you get this."

Talking to him as she continued to move out the door, Kono filled him in. "June says something's up. Someone's here on the Island or back on the Island. But it's like the first time or maybe worse when all of this went down and she's truly terrified for Danny. We need to get them both back here if that's the case."

Getting up to follow, Chin felt his stress level rising again. "What about Stan Edwards and Rachel? I guess we should put a call into them, as well as Duke. Just to be on the safe side." But she was already out the door and he was already moving towards his office to begin those phone calls and arrangements. As he reached his desk, Kono's line started to ring and he found himself speaking to an Agent Bishop from the FBI. Explaining that he was part of Five-0 and Kono's co-worker, Bishop brought him up to speed on Roarke's whereabouts and the news threw Chin into an organized but frenzied note-taking.

"We tracked him yesterday to Newark International and almost lost him again. But we've confirmed he's headed your way; if not there already by private jet. We also have intel that Ted Brody is under the radar. His last known whereabouts were confirmed about eight days ago when he was in Paris. But we lost sight of him since that time."

Chin was momentarily confused. "What? Ted Brody? Who's he?"

"These guys work in tight groups. While there's no honor amongst thieves, in this case there's some aspect of trust or at least professional familiarity – as sick as that sounds." And Bishop took a patient breath to continue. "Philippe Rousseau typically teamed with Brody and Roarke on his jobs - and vice versa. Each had a particular role. When your officer Kalakaua described the situation with Rousseau and then got the hit on Roarke's DNA, we feel it's safe to assume Brody is your third accomplice."

Before hanging up Bishop offered additional advice to Chin. "While Commander McGarrett did the world a favor by removing Rousseau from this earth, you can expect some type of personal payback from these two. I'd suggest that you all be very careful. In fact, my superiors are considering sending you reinforcements in the short term. We will certainly send any new intel that could be of help."

Thanking him, Chin tried Steve's cell phone to no avail and was left leaving a second, urgent message. Muttering angrily, he got on the phone directly to Duke Lukela about the Edwards' family safety.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

Breathing erratically and on the verge of panic, Danny found himself being steered aggressively out of the courthouse by his partner.

"Almost there." Steve muttered, and Danny winced as they suddenly hit the too bright sunshine and white of the concrete pavement. Steve made a sharp right and found a secluded bench in a shady area and sat Danny down as he gasped and gulped down the fresh air.

"I'm fine. Give me a minute." Pale and shivering badly, Danny put his head between his knees. "Might be sick though." He whispered into the ground. "Dizzy."

Chin had once called Hoffman smug and this easily bested that description in aces. Angry and defensive, Steve couldn't believe what had just happened inside the court room. Pacing briefly with his hands on his hips, he watched his friend gain some semblance of control and beat back obvious nausea. And he had to force himself to also calm down before his temper got the better of him.

"Deep, slow breaths. You know the drill, D." Steve said angrily, as he watched Danny's shoulders heave from the shock. Finally able to sit on the bench next to him, he gently rubbed Danny's back in small, soothing circles. "I'm sorry that happened. But you did good."

The soft and muffled snort was followed by heated and irritated words. "No, this definitely was not good, Steven. And I'm sick of it." Leaning back slowly, Steve switched to holding Danny's shoulder as he blinked his tearing eyes and continued to take long, deep breaths against the nausea. Red blotches stood out on his cheeks and the sweat was soaking into his dress shirt and jacket. Loosening his tie was difficult with hands that refused to cooperate, and he finally just ripped it off in disgust to throw it to the ground.

Bemused, Steve looked at him and then down to the tie. "Not your lucky one, I take it?" Bending down he balled it up and put it in his own pocket. "Hopefully not from Gracie either?"

Closing his eyes, Danny leaned his head all the way back to catch the light breeze and wiped clammy hands on his knees. Still nauseous from the experience, he trusted himself only to whisper. "No on both counts. Rachel got it for me a long time ago." Hesitating he added, "Actually I hate that tie."

"I'm sorry that I picked it up then." Steve said slyly, and was pleased to see Danny open one eye and attempt a broken grin. "I can put it back if you want."

"Please do." Danny whispered with just a hint of his old sarcasm. But then his mood changed as he took one last, deep shuddering breath and leaned forward to squint up at Steve. "Seriously, take me to my place." He demanded softly. "I want to see it."

"Sure." Readily able to agree since he and Kono had already cleaned it spotlessly, Steve helped Danny up from the bench and frowned at the volume of heat coming off his body. "You're over-heated. Get this damn jacket off before you pass out."

Shrugging out of the hot suit coat, Danny felt slightly better as he followed Steve to the truck and he started to grumble. "I'm serious. I _**am**_ thoroughly sick of this. I've had enough." Pausing mid-stride Steve turned towards him as Danny's voice began to rise in decibels and his hands started to fly.

"No one. _**No one**_ is going to do this to me or to my family." And as one finger strayed upwards to point directly into Steve's face, he jabbed it firmly for emphasis in his direction. "I am _**not**_ going to sit around worrying and wondering."

"Didn't think you ever would, Danno." Steve couldn't help the glad smile that creased his face. Danny was still white as a sheet, sweating bullets and very unsteady on his feet. But he was finally and quite thoroughly very angry.

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	27. Chapter 27

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

Summary: Post E Malama. Season 1 Episode 16. Housing Commissioner Bruce Hoffman goes after Danny with a vengeance after Danny threatens him over the Stan issue. Hiring professionals to first obtain Stan's tapes which Danny now has and then to dispose of Danny.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

**Chapter Twenty-seven: Under the Island**

Hoffman's accountant had received his version of the cryptic note and did a mental double-take. Eyebrows raised he obligingly moved the requested funds from the private Swiss accounts as he'd done in the past. But the amount of assets was now sorely depleted and the accountant wondered fleetingly what had happened. He was making plans to move on by the end of the day, and would be taking any remaining monetary funds with him as his own paycheck of sorts.

Unbeknownst to him and to Hoffman's lawyer, the message received back from his associates was quite clear to Hoffman himself. The subtle 'R' referred to Rousseau and his ill-timed death. It was an unmistakable warning that his dealings made Hoffman directly accountable for the loss of such a primary and lucrative international operative and that certain things had gone much too far. So his request for another job, regardless of who or where, now came at a thrice-exorbitant price tag. Pay-back, accountability and responsibility were extremely expensive personal and monetary commodities.

Within the week, Hoffman would be penniless and he was well aware of it. He could even lose his fancy lawyer. But he'd been able to more than adequately pay for this final act of retribution and he was still indulging himself with wicked thoughts as he waited for his rewards.

And while he was eagerly waiting, Roarke and Brody were already meeting at a very public diner just a few blocks from Danny's apartment. Brody had arrived back on the Island just two days prior and Roarke, only that morning. Sitting in companionable silence, their plan was amazingly simple: use Grace Williams as bait to once again take and then dispatch of Danny Williams. Stan Edwards would be their second and final target.

With hours to go before school ended at three, Brody smiled at Roarke's plan to get to Williams much sooner. Leaving the booth, Roarke pleasantly approached three older teenage girls and asked which would like to earn an easy one hundred dollar bill for making a simple phone call. Giggling, one readily volunteered after reading the words he had written on a napkin.

"This is it?" She asked. "Really – and I get one hundred dollars?"

Showing her the cash, Roarke was friendly and laughing. "Yup that's all. And then this is yours! Not yet though. I'll let you know when after we're done eating if you can hang out for just a few more minutes. And don't forget that you need to sound very very formal. It's a harmless joke that we're playing on our friend but he really needs to believe it."

Shrugging and still giggling, the girls stayed at the booth and waited for Roarke to come back over.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

Some color had returned to Danny's face by the time they'd gotten to his apartment complex but he made no move to get out of the truck when Steve parked it near the Camaro.

"You alright?" Steve asked for the thousandth time and Danny rolled his eyes. Obviously still on edge and not nearly one hundred percent, Steve was at least happy to still see the firm set to Danny's chin and a new-found determination in his eyes. The dramatic eye roll only added to what was a more natural and expected reaction to his incessant pestering.

Nodding that he was indeed still good, Danny got out of the truck and began rummaging through his pockets for his keys but for the life of him couldn't remember when he'd had them last. "I can't believe this!" he exclaimed in annoyance. Throwing his hands in the air, Danny wasn't happy. "I have to pick my own lock now? Oh wait, you're here. I may need a whole new door."

Steve smiled at the sarcasm as he leaned over the hood of the truck and dangled the small key ring from one finger; not saying a word, he swung them back and forth. Scowling, Danny snapped them out of this hand. "Why do you have my keys?"

But only getting a mild shrug, he disgustedly waved Steve off as he walked unsteadily to the small apartment. Opening the door, he took three steps in and then stopped dead in his tracks as his mouth fell open in stunned silence. The room was spotless, bright and airy from top to bottom. There were absolutely no signs of a struggle or any of the terrible damages he'd been warned about and had almost feared seeing. Everything was in its rightful place and the apartment was probably cleaner than the day he'd first moved in.

Coming up behind him, Steve quietly put one hand on Danny's shoulder. "It was Kono's idea. We wanted you to come home and find it … _well_… nice. I hope its okay."

Uncertain of what to say or how to react, Danny stood dumbfounded in the middle of the room. Walking around him, Steve went into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator door. "But we had to clean all of this out. So you need food."

Staring at Steve blankly, he found that he still couldn't speak. "Danny? I'm sorry. Did we mess up and do the wrong thing?" Worried that he'd still not said a single word nor moved from the same spot, Steve grimaced and apologized. "Hey, I'm sorry. We thought it would be best …"

"No. It's fine." The mumbled words finally came out forced and quiet as he left the room. "Better than that. Better than fine." And Danny walked slowly back to the small bedroom and found the same pristine state. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he sighed loudly and put his head back down between his knees and heard the inevitable drone of Steve's concerned voice. "What's wrong? Do you still feel sick?"

Lifting his head, Danny frowned as he looked up at Steve's pained face. "You're channeling Nurse Rachet again Steven." But the retort was weak and more emotional than he'd planned. The unexpected kindness and his relief of not having to deal with the enormity of his apartment drained his last reserves of energy and he was exhausted. "I can't believe you both did this for me. It's incredible."

"Like I said, it was Kono's idea. We really didn't want you to have to deal with it. There was no need after all you've been handling lately." The bed dipped as Steve sat next to him sounding much more relieved. Studying Danny's tired but less strained face, Steve had an idea. "Why don't you lay down for awhile? Even take a shower. I'll run out and get some things for lunch and stock that miserable refrigerator of yours."

Getting up from the bed, Steve was already closing the blinds and Danny was agreeably moving pillows and covers to get settled.

"Keep your phone on though. Just in case I need to reach you." Steve said before leaving the bedroom. Digging his cell out of his pocket, Danny tiredly saw that it was already on but on silent mode. He had missed one or two calls but was too tired to check his messages. Nodding, he changed its tone back to normal and put it on the bedside table. But Steve frowned when he checked his own and realized he had turned it completely off for the visit to the courthouse. Thumbing it on, he smiled as he left the apartment and ignored the incessant buzzing from various messages and missed calls.

Danny's phone chimed loudly as soon as he sat on the bed. "Incredible." He muttered and assumed Steve had already forgotten something. But instead he heard a young woman's voice and hesitated as he listened to her brief message. "Mr. Williams? This is the nurse at Sacred Heart. Your daughter was a stomach ache and I was hoping someone could pick her up?"

Readily agreeing to be there in five minutes, Danny was quickly re-dressing and moving out the door with the keys to the Camaro in his hand. Sighing, he speed-dialed Steve as he slammed the apartment door shut.

"You want something special for lunch, Danno?" He could tell that Steve was already at the small supermarket a few blocks away.

"No, no. Listen. The school called and Grace doesn't feel well. I'm going to get her and bring back here. I'll call Rachel after." Talking quickly as he walked towards the complex's parking lot, he grinned as he sensed Steve's hesitation and Danny interrupted him before he could complain. "I'll be back before you. Just pick up some soup, okay?"

Sighing for Danny's benefit, Steve ran his hand through his hair as he stood with the shopping cart in the small store. A million things could happen and Steve didn't like it, but it was a simple enough errand. "Fine. But call me when …. you pick … her up. Danny?"

Hearing a sharp clatter on the other side of the line, Steve froze mid-sentence. "Danny? You hear me? Hey!" But the short noise was followed by the sounds of a scuffle and then the line suddenly went dead. Abandoning the cart and racing back to his truck, Steve was panicky and redialing Danny's cell phone to only get voicemail.

Hitting his lights in the large truck, he simultaneously auto-dialed Chin and was cut off before he could get out his hasty demands. Chin was furious and didn't give him a chance to speak. "Where the hell have you been? We have a major situation here! Roarke is already on the Island and …"

And as the terrifying cold chill settled more strongly over his body and he scrambled for self-control, Steve could only choke out brief words. "Get over to Danny's now. I need you now. They took him."

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	28. Chapter 28

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

Summary: Post E Malama. Season 1 Episode 16. Housing Commissioner Bruce Hoffman goes after Danny with a vengeance after Danny threatens him over the Stan issue. Hiring professionals to first obtain Stan's tapes which Danny now has and then to dispose of Danny.

**NOTES: okay – this was a harsh chapter even for me to write - so we need to blame it on the saber-toothed plot bunny. **

**For inquiring minds: A saber-tooth bunny lives in your backyard when you are 8 and have to walk the dog at night. It often lives behind the shed where you can't see it. And it's what your mean brother creates to make you even more SCARED. LOL! **

**The new saber-toothed PLOT bunny is equally evil and makes someone write scary things.**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

**Chapter Twenty-eight: Under the Island**

Taking a chance, Roarke paid the young girl early with instructions to make the phone call to Danny as he and Brody drove the short distance to the apartment complex. And then giving her extra coins to use, he pointed to the antiquated pay phone.

"Use that phone. It will be more fun!" And then laughing with her as if it would be a big prank on his very good friend, he reminded her once more. "Don't say anything different. Just this and then hang up fast. Okay?"

A few minutes later, she did as she was asked and was soon off her other girlfriends to spend their easily earned money.

Parking just a few spaces from the Camaro, Roarke immediately got out to hide in the deep shadows cast by a few small bushes nearest the sidewalk. Brody remained behind the wheel and kept the Suburban idling as they waited patiently for their target. Checking his watch, he was soon smiling as he saw Danny walking towards the car.

"Perfect timing." He grinned, as he got out of the Suburban he'd rented for the few days they'd be on the Island for the job. As planned, Roarke was nearby and at the ready with a syringe as he waited for Brody's brief distraction. The sedative was fast-acting but would be just enough to keep things under control and definitely not boring.

Walking purposefully past Danny on the sidewalk as if on some other errand, he turned abruptly and grabbed him in a tight head-lock. Caught completely off guard and choking as one strong arm quickly tightened around his throat, Danny's phone went flying under the front wheels of his car. Struggling harder and getting only one elbow into the attacker's gut, he sensed another figure swiftly coming up. But he was unable to prevent the unmistakable sting of a needle in his neck and it began to burn as the contents were injected in one quick motion.

As he gave a little strangled wheeze of surprise, his struggles began to ease on their own and he was quickly bundled into the back seat of the idling Suburban with Roarke holding him down roughly. Fishing around Danny's belt, Roarke used his own cuffs to bind his hands. Fastening them tightly in front, he laughed as he had almost no difficulty forcing Danny onto his stomach and then patted his sweaty, heaving back.

"Much too easy. You're making things _**much**_ too easy." Continuing to struggle weakly but with his vision growing dark around the edges and muscles now refusing to cooperate, Danny groaned and breathed heavily into the deep leather seats.

"Get off me." He croaked feebly as he panted and tried to force his failing muscles to fight back in vain attempts to unseat his attacker. But Roarke smirked as he pulled zip ties from a pocket and bound Danny's ankles tightly together. With the strong sedative in his system and trapped by the two men, Danny too soon wasn't able to move.

"Our friend Rousseau sadly isn't here, so when things are meant to end. They will end." Leaning down he whispered into Danny's ear as he tried to flinch away. "I promise they will."

Using his left hand, Roarke intentionally kept him down by anchoring the back of his neck firmly into the seat cushions of the Suburban. Barely able to breathe and well hidden for the thirty minute drive back to the small docked motor boat, Danny was only semi-conscious by the time they'd reached the old access road. Skidding to a stop in the dry dirt and sand, the two men hauled Danny out of the rental. With Roarke under his arms and Brody at his feet, they unceremoniously dropped him into the small motor boat which was rocking furiously at its moorings.

Numb from the drug and unfocused, Danny gasped for air when he hit the bottom of the deck flat on his back and winced as the back of his head slammed against the hard wooden floor. The fresh air revived him a little, but he was still unable to push himself up or roll over. Staring groggily straight up into the bright blue sky, the sun blinded him and he was forced to close his eyes as the boat bounced erratically and banged against the old dock.

"Look familiar?" Brody asked laughingly, as he jumped down and started the engine. "Don't worry though; this will be the last time." Waiting for Roarke, he adjusted a handgun that he had tucked in front of his jeans and then accepted the rifles that had been in the truck. Those were stowed on the deck near the front seats.

Panting roughly, Danny managed to mutter his own weak threat. "Maybe for you too." But the words only earned him a hard kick in his left side from Roarke which effectively knocked any remaining breath out of his lungs. Coughing and gagging, Danny scrunched his face in pain as felt a rib pop in his chest.

"Not likely." Roarke stated brutally as he grabbed Danny up into a near sitting position by the front of his shirt. "You're officially done." Throwing him aside as Brody left the dock and Roarke needed to hold on for balance in the heavy swells, Danny wound up lurching heavily onto his left side and again choking from the pain. As the engine thrummed loudly under his cheek, Danny forced his eyes open to hazily see the rolling backs of his kidnappers as they accelerated out into the ocean. And now besides the rifles, he could make out the additional handguns tucked loosely into the backs of their jeans.

Blinking furiously, he focused on his bound hands and willed them to move. Biting his bottom lip with the effort, Danny only managed to shift his fingers slightly and definitely not enough to make a difference. His legs were equally unresponsive and he couldn't help the desperate moan that escaped his lips.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

"Steve! No. Stop and go right to the marina and meet us there." Chin was adamant and Steve could tell that he was on the move. In the background he could hear June Pane'e's sobbed directions and Kono's strident voice as car doors slammed and an engine stared. Changing direction, Steve obeyed the command without a second thought.

"June's been with us for half the morning and we've decided to go with it. She says it's a boat and maybe the even same one. Definitely heavy seas and a sense that they're headed towards familiar territory. We're hoping we can head them off back or near the sea caves."

Whispering harshly into the phone, Chin's stressed voice matched Steve's own plunging heart. "It's bad. Real bad. I've never seen her like this."

As they raced through the busy streets in separate vehicles, Chin continued to fill Steve in on Agent Bishop and the FBI information. "The intel totally backs up June and how Hoffman's people operate. Plus the fact that at least Roarke is confirmed as here already. It's likely that this Brody is here too. So we feel that we just have to take the chance again."

Silently agreeing, Steve was thin-lipped and resolute as he pulled into the marina first. "I'm here." He shouted into the phone as he pulled equipment and additional weapons from his truck's storage locker. Rapidly making his way to the tethered HPD boat, he registered that the others had also arrived and were hot on his heels. Within seconds they were out of the marina and rocketing towards the area nearest the sea cave.

"How'd they get him?" Kono cautiously asked as she readied her own weapon and began scouting for other fast moving boats. Trying to balance as she was tossed around in the rough seas, she grimaced but needed to know. In fact, it was obvious that they all wanted to understand how it had happened. But judging by Steve's all too focused expression and the unconcealed fury that was rolling off him, the question was a dangerous one.

And the quietly delivered answer stunned all of them. "They used Gracie to get him out in the open. Somehow." Steve was raging inside as he piloted the boat forward at top speed. "_Somehow_ … he got a call supposedly from the school. Said she was sick and Danny was going to pick her up ..." He was barely able to continue and ended up whispering the last word. "It was a damned trap."

Recovering, he turned to Kono. "Call the school. Make sure she's still there and okay. Then get HPD to the Edwards."

"No worries on the last part. HPD has been stationed at the Edwards' since June contacted us this morning." Chin explained as he continually scouted the horizon. "There!" He shouted and pointed to a small red and white motor boat that was bouncing through the choppy waters. "Starboard side about two o'clock."

June had never taken a seat as Steve piloted aggressively forward. Trying to keep her feet, she was frantically praying that she was right about Danny and where he was being taken. But the feelings were so incredibly strong and she just knew they were totally accurate. Petrified but determined, she grabbed Steve's arm for balance and pulled him to the right at the same time Chin spoke. "Yes. He's there." Nodding, he changed course to directly bear down on the smaller motor boat.

Using binoculars, Chin tried to view the boat's occupants as they bounced through the rough seas. "Two men for sure." Catching the glint of metal off their bodies, he hesitated and double-checked before confirming. "Yeah. Yeah, Steve. Looks like their carrying too. They're armed to the teeth."

Pointing, Chin switched places to take over piloting the HPD vessel as Steve grabbed the binoculars. Frowning, he couldn't see a third person but June's frenzied voice had him believing in miracles. "He's there. I swear it. He .. he can't move. It's like mud?"

Confused, June sat down as she continued to watch the small motor boat. "Why can't he move?" Moving her hand to her chest, her eyes filled with tears. "He's hurt. We're going to be too late." She moaned in fear as she tasted the unforgettable raw taste of the sea in her mouth and buried her face in her hands. "Too late."

"No, we most definitely are not." Growling in anger, Steve pulled out his rifle as Kono did the same. Sighting the boat's driver, Steve calmly centered himself. Looking up briefly, June almost stopped breathing at the lethal change in him. Making herself smaller, she scrunched down in her seat with big glassy eyes as the Five-0 team mobilized around her.

Without a word, Kono purposefully took aim at the head of the passenger as they waited patiently for Chin to get within optimal distance.

"Get there, Chin. Get us there." He whispered. Rubbing the rifle's stock once against his cheek, Steve squinted through the powerful sights and blocked out all else but the kill zone on his target.

Seconds later, Roarke looked up in surprise as Brody slumped and then was thrown backwards by the force of a wave when the motor boat came to a jouncing halt. When his body hit the deck near Danny, blood was already blossoming across his chest from the fatal gunshot wound. Reacting quickly, Roarke glanced once over his shoulder and snarled in anger when he saw the speeding HPD boat bearing down on them. Taking Brody's place, he rapidly throttled the boat back into high speed.

Startled as the man fell only a few feet from him, Danny huffed out a pleased sound as Brody's gun also skittered within inches of his bound hands. Looking into the dead man's face, Danny grinned happily and then screwed up his face in pain as he coughed harshly. "Don't say I didn't warn ya, buddy."

Working hard to get his hands to move, Danny inched them agonizingly across the deck towards the gun and was finally able to gather it up. And as the boat bounced and jumped over the waves he forced his heavy arms to lift the weapon towards Roarke's hazy form. Wheezing with the effort and still on his side, Danny strained to hold it steady as he finally pulled the trigger.

Steve didn't take time to celebrate when his shot found its intended home. In fact, he was briefly annoyed when the second man reacted so quickly to take over the helm. But when he also pitched forward just a few moments later and the motor boat slowed to a stop for the second time, Steve lowered his gun in surprise.

"Wasn't me boss!" Kono said with an unmistakable grin in her voice. They could all easily see the last man on the boat and it was definitely Roarke as they closed in fast.

"Danny." Steve muttered with pride as he spied the large splotch of blood growing across the hitman's chest. But the moment changed quickly as Roarke stumbled and turned in a rage. Leaning down with a sneer, he hauled up an obviously injured Danny who was sagging haphazardly and weakly in his brutal hands.

"Kono!" Steve shouted in alarm. To his side, June was crying as she realized the danger that Danny was still in.

"On it." She replied calmly as she re-sighted her weapon and quickly took aim.

Moving to the front of the HPD vessel as Chin expertly guided it in closer, Steve was on his feet and poised to board the smaller pitching boat. But when Kono took her shot, Roarke jerked over the side taking a helpless Danny along with him into the violent seas.

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	29. Chapter 29

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

Summary: Post E Malama. Season 1 Episode 16. Housing Commissioner Bruce Hoffman goes after Danny with a vengeance after Danny threatens him over the Stan issue. Hiring professionals to first obtain Stan's tapes which Danny now has and then to dispose of Danny.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

**Chapter Twenty-nine: Under the Island**

Though his frozen fingers still held Brody's gun after managing to shoot Roarke, Danny couldn't force his arms up for a second time as the wounded man turned on him. The bullet had hit him in the back and just below the right shoulder blade. Exiting high near his collar bone, Roarke's shirt was already blood soaked and it was slowing him down but it wasn't a mortal wound. So Danny's satisfaction at actually hitting the correct hazy jumbled shape was all too brief as he was painfully hauled up by his shirt and he lost his grip on the weapon. When it clattered from his hands down to the deck, Roarke kicked it away. In the distance they could both hear the roar of the HPD boat as it honed in and he boldly grinned at the hitman.

"Not as easy as you thought it would be." Danny choked out, but he was gasping from the pain in his side as his broken rib grated and the only thing holding him upright was Roarke's own anger.

Roarke raged at him as he roughly yanked him over to the side of the violently rocking motor boat. "And I told _**you**_ this would end."

The second boat's engines sounded increasingly louder but Danny knew he was going into the rough seas and he took a huge breath of air as he sagged weakly in Roarke's hands. He also knew either Steve or Kono had killed Brody. They were so very close but he was still fighting the effects of the strong sedative. Taking yet a second deep breath, his eyes widened when a second rosy wound appeared unexpectedly on the man's temple.

"Yeah, for _**you**_." Danny muttered sarcastically. But his surge of relief turned to shock when Roarke's dying momentum tumbled them both over the side. Powerless to help himself, he hit the surf hard and had a terrible déjà vu feeling that his had already happened to him before.

As he was battered in the cold rough waters, Danny could see the fading sparkle of sunlight as he sank deeper. Fear spiked through him as he realized his dreams had been a premonition and he was going to drown with or without his friend's help. Already the surface was too far away and he was sinking fast with Roarke's convulsing hands wrapped tightly in the folds of his shirt. The man's death grip was solid and Danny simply couldn't escape the rapid plunge.

Kono's shot was clean and hit Roarke as intended. But she and Chin watched horrified as both men went over the far side of the smaller boat. Cursing, Steve was already in the water and diving down to intercept the fast sinking shapes. Moments later, there was another loud splash as June also dove into the waves.

"Where's she going?" Shouted Kono as she ran over to the edge of the HPD vessel to see June disappearing into the depths. "June!"

On her feet again as the team approached Roarke and Danny, June's breath caught in her throat as she _heard_ Danny's surprised fear when he tumbled over the side. Without thinking, she kicked off her shoes and dove off the HPD boat with only one goal in mind: get to Danny and make the awful premonition "_wrong_".

She'd been wrapped up in his traumatic feelings for weeks now and was all too familiar with the nightmares. Rather than sitting idly by, she was determined to make it right – change it – _fix_ it. She knew all about Danny's strong impressions of being "_off_" and of the terrible dreams where he drowned and that left him breathless or in a hyperventilated state. In fact one or two had been so bad, June herself had woken up in the middle of the night believing she herself was dying. But this was going to be different – this was real and he wasn't alone and she wasn't willing to stay the messenger. With Steve already in the water and gaining on the swirling bodies, June was close as she aimed for Danny's unmoving shape and finally reached out to grab him.

Closing his eyes, Danny stopped his faint struggles as his ears popped but he continued to doggedly hold his breath. "_Please_." He whispered in his mind as he tried to conserve air and his lungs began to burn. And finally, he felt two small, strong arms wrap around his waist as June bravely reached him and fought to pull upwards. Kicking furiously, she managed to get them moving but she was hampered by the combined weight of the two men and the strong currents. Another set of strong hands grabbed his bound arms and then he felt vicious tugging between himself and Roarke's body. Swimming around them, Steve physically tried to yank and pry Roarke away but he realized that the man's hands were seized and clenched in Danny's shirt. June's efforts had at least stopped the descent and allowed Steve precious time, but she was making little headway.

Bound hand and foot, Danny's head lolled in the current and his eyes were closed. "_Nonono_." The word ran through Steve's mind continuously as his heart hammered in his chest. "_Not drowning on my watch, D. No way._" He silently promised as he pulled out his knife. Focused on his job, he didn't dare yet look again at his face as he deftly used the knife to cut and peel away Danny's shirt. Once it was off, Roarke's body was forgotten as it rolled away in the fast moving current with pieces of material still clutched in its dead hands.

Feeling the dual support and Roarke's weight drop away, Danny fought to re-open his eyes in the murky waters. Weakening, he grimaced and couldn't prevent the shudder that ran through his body as he fought against the impulse to take in a breath.

With June around his waist and Steve at his shoulder the rescuers were feverishly kicking their way up. Feeling the faint movements, Steve glanced at Danny's face as he helped June swim rapidly upwards towards the surface. Squeezing his bound arms Steve tried to convey his demands that Danny just hold on a few seconds longer. But shaking his head with lungs bursting, Danny wasn't sure he could stop the automatic choking inhale of harsh saltwater. And it happened just before they'd reached the bright sunlight. Terrified now as his one spastic need to inhale let loose, the last thing Danny saw as a flood of seawater entered his body was Steve's frantically worried face just a few inches from his own.

Steve was yelling for Chin and Kono as he broke the surface. June was gasping and had Danny wrapped in her arms as she tread water and fought the high waves. As she was buffeted, her own strength was ebbing and she was having trouble keeping them both afloat. Going under once, June felt Danny being taken away as Steve took over. Surfacing, she coughed and choked her way back to the HPD boat.

"What were you thinking?" Kono said, as she pulled the exhausted young woman back on board.

White-faced and shocked by what she'd done, June's eyes were huge as she coughed up water and fell onto her knees. "It was his dream and I couldn't let it happen."

Kono didn't say a word as she realized the truth of the words and then dropped into the water as Steve approached to help protect Danny from the sides of the roughly bobbing HPD boat. Chin knelt down on the deck as well with waiting arms.

"Needed her help. _**Again**_." Steve puffed in admiration sparing June a grateful glance as he positioned Danny's limp body for his team to pull him into the boat. "Get him up. Chin, CPR." Panting from the exertion, Steve dropped to his knees, knife still in hand and felt for a pulse.

"Come on." Steve whispered. Searching grimly, he finally found a slow and sluggish pulse but Chin was frowning as he continued CPR. "Not breathing."

"He's got a pulse. Keep at it." Steve demanded needlessly, and within just a few short seconds Chin was soon rewarded as Danny gurgled harshly. Rolling him to his side quickly, Chin supported him as he choked up volumes of water. Eyes closed and shuddering, Danny wheezed and groaned. At his feet, Steve had already slashed through the zip ties and was fumbling for keys to get the cuffs off in a silent frantic rage.

"Got it." He said with an unevenly as he finally managed to toss the cuffs away and gently massaged Danny's bruised wrists. Helping to roll him onto his back, Steve and Chin continued basic triage starting with the heavy bruising on his chest and around the site of the originally injured ribs. Both men were distressed to find at least one definite break as Danny moaned from their gentle care.

Chin noticed the lack of movement first. "Something else is wrong." He said as he sat back on his heels and studied the too quiet hands. And Steve frowned as he agreed and watched Danny struggle to breathe. Eyes still closed, Danny was panting and grimacing in pain; other than that though, he disturbingly wasn't moving.

"June?" he muttered as he looked from Danny to her. "How's he doing?"

Surprised at the question and the unexpected request, June leaned back down and took Danny's limp hand. Frowning, she felt how exhausted he was and the pain in his chest. And she sensed an extreme lethargy that he couldn't seem to shake.

"He can't move and I don't know why. He's exhausted and his chest hurts but it's more. More than that." Worried, June looked at Steve and then Chin. "He's 'stuck'. I can't describe it."

The whisper was low and almost too soft but it came from Danny as he lay shivering on the deck while Kono packed towels and blankets around him.

"Drugs." First one and then two fingers twitched on his left hand as he tried to find the strength to move and Steve silently grabbed up the weak hand. With the feel of the boat rolling under his head, Danny coughed and wheezed. The sun felt good on his face and part of him felt surprisingly at ease and relaxed knowing now that both Roarke and Brody were gone for good. But he still held a faint spark of fear as he whispered. "Can't move."

And then his breath hitched as he felt Chin at his side, Steve's firm hand on his own and Kono desperately rubbing his arms in an attempt to warm him up. "Not the dream." He whispered. "Didn't happen."

With a rough voice, Steve squeezed his hand harder as he stared at the pale face. "No way, D. We have you. Just rest."

Both Chin and Steve then checked for injection sites but found nothing until Chin reached his neck area. "Here." He said, as he found the small, round red mark on the right side of Danny's neck and very close to an artery. Newly alarmed, both leaned closer to check Danny's shallow breathing as he faded in and out of consciousness. Chin's next words were full of admiration as he realized the massive effort it would have taken for Danny to hit Roarke. "How'd he manage to shoot that guy?"

His answer was a soft snort followed by weakly muttered words. "Couldn't let you have all the fun." Daring to grin, they looked down as Danny forced his eyes open once more. "Hello June." He whispered with a brief smile as he saw the soaking wet young woman next to Kono. Tucking her dripping hair behind her ear, June smiled broadly. "You sir need to stay out of trouble."

But Steve rolled his eyes at her words as he lurched to his feet. "Well that's going to be impossible. He has this problem …" Meaning to say with a certain tone, he found himself interrupted by the prone man at this feet who managed to blurt out a whispered. "Sure do."

And as he raised his eyebrows in surprise, Danny gave a short knowing chuckle that was followed by a few sharp coughs. "Such a face." He muttered, and he trailed off to cough again. Wincing, he closed his eyes but not before Steve could see the subtle glimmer of anxiety. And Kono glanced up worriedly as she fixed the blankets around him.

Concerned about the drugs, Steve didn't take his eyes off Danny as he started to give orders and moved to the HPD boat's controls. "Kono, radio for emergency at the dock and either you or Chin has to bring that boat back to port with Brody's body. Tell HPD to get out here and being a search for the other one."

As he looked at the high swells and gauged the vicious current, he tracked it towards the distant sea cave and smirked. "Tell them to check in there first." Pointing to the booming dark mouth of the cave, Kono followed his eye and gave a hoarse laugh in appreciation. "Nice!"

Chin looked to Kono who was already on her cell phone and he indicated that he'd take the motor boat. Sharing a thumbs up, Kono nodded and took up a comforting position near June and Danny as she voiced her demands for assistance.

Steve turned once more before starting the engine to look down at Danny who was far too quiet and had drifted off again. And he asked June quietly with respect in his eyes. "Stay with him. Please. Until we get back."

Nodding, June sat down on the deck next to Danny and kept a hold of his lax hand under the blankets. Giving him a gentle squeeze, she willed him to calm and echoed his team's feelings of safety and warmth until the EMT's had to move her away at the marina.

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	30. Chapter 30

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

Summary: Post E Malama. Season 1 Episode 16. Housing Commissioner Bruce Hoffman goes after Danny with a vengeance after Danny threatens him over the Stan issue. Hiring professionals to first obtain Stan's tapes which Danny now has and then to dispose of Danny.

**NOTES: you are ALL THE BEST! Thank you for sharing this very long ride with me. This story took on a huge life of its own. There was a muse, a breakfast muse and a saber-toothed plot bunny. They all thank you too.**

**I appreciate and I'm genuinely humbled by your kind words - I'm totally THRILLED that you all enjoyed reading this so very much. **

**And I do hope that this final chapter does justice to something I've had a lot of fun bringing to life.**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

**Chapter Thirty: Under the Island**

June had taken up a small portion of space near Chin in the small waiting room as she watched Steve's constant pacing and listened to his frustrated sighs. She thought she'd go dizzy watching him pause, stare towards the trauma area, and then resume his agitated spinning.

"Is he always like this?" she murmured down to Chin, who seemed to be the polar opposite of their commander in chief.

Without looking up from where he sat, rocked back into the wall on a plastic chair with his eyes closed, Chin simply said "Yup. Always."

"Wow." She breathed out and Chin actually gave way to a small huffed chuckle. They'd been sitting at a forced vigil for almost two hours and still no one had been out from the trauma area with word on Danny's condition. Kono had finally gone for coffee, while Steve alternated between sitting for long seconds at a time and then resuming the intense pacing.

Danny hadn't regained consciousness when the team had powered back at top speed to the marina. By then he was pale and shocky; and as he was rushed from the boat to the waiting ambulance, the EMT's had him on full oxygen as they worked to determine the cause for his perplexing struggle to breathe. And now, the group still hadn't been brought up to speed by the trauma team and the silence in the waiting room was deafening.

Chin startled forward out of his chair, when Steve ceased his predictable pattern to quickly stride towards the attending ER physician. As he finally came through the double doors, Steve dared to slowly exhale as he saw the doctor's somewhat more relaxed expression than when they'd first arrived.

Knowing it had been a very long time, the doctor got right to the point to put the team at ease. "I'm sorry for the delay, but it took us some time to figure out. Let me first tell you all that Detective Williams is much improved."

The collective sigh of relief was unmistakable as the tension across the team lessened considerably. Continuing, the doctor explained, "We found a type of neuromuscular-blocker in his system. It's a type of drug often used before surgery and it explains his inability to move. We're reversing that now using the appropriate measure which works much like an antidote."

The doctor then hesitated to change his mind about sharing what could have happened with an over-dose. "The amount of the drug in his system affected his respiratory system and caused the difficulties in breathing … let's just say he's very lucky _more_ wasn't used."

Sighing with concern, the doctor looked to Steve as he added. "Extremely lucky."

Finding it unnecessary to continue with a further explanation, the doctor motioned the team through to the trauma area. "He'll be staying at least the night and maybe two. I'll have him moved to a private room within the hour. We need to ensure that his respiratory functions continue to improve especially after his little stint in the ocean."

Understanding now what the doctor wasn't saying, Steve grimaced as he walked through the doors and into the small room. '_More'_ would have meant Danny's diaphragm would have also been paralyzed. Unable to take air into his lungs, he'd have suffocated. Shaking off the near tragic realization that sounded eerily like a chemical nerve agent, Steve walked first into the room to find Danny elevated on the gurney and covered with blankets. Two IV's were snaking into his arms as both regular fluids and the antidote were simultaneously administered. But he was awake, alert and his relieved eyes twinkled as he smiled gamely under an oxygen mask. One hand made its way up in a tired acknowledgement as they all gathered around the small bed.

"Hey." Steve smiled widely in return. Silently logging the number of machines Danny was hooked up to, he was very glad to see the improved coordination as the drug was forced from his system. "Doc says you're going to be fine. Once again you've managed to garner all the attention."

"You know me." Danny softly said. He was plainly exhausted and his voice was raspy, but he was determined to remain awake. "Kono needed some target practice and I thought you might want to go for a decent swim today."

Kono snorted and then laughed out right which deepened Danny's smile. But Steve didn't feel up to the jest after the insanely long and emotional day which had begun with the unexpected mute confrontation of sorts with Hoffman. Wondering where Danny was getting his energy reserves from, Steve's own adrenalin was wearing off and he could only tiredly shrug.

"Uh no. Not so much. Lunch would have been fine, actually."

"Agreed." Danny muttered as he studied Steve's sober face. Wanting to talk more but hindered by the oxygen mask, he jerkily reached up to tug the annoying thing from his face.

"So …" He started say, but found his hand soundly smacked and the mask re-attached firmly. Annoyed, he tried again to remove it, but Steve was all over him with a dark, angry face and one threatening finger raised in warning.

"Do it again, and I'm calling the most unpleasant nurse I can find in this place and having her assigned only to your room. Leave it _**on**_ _**Daniel**_."

Frowning, Danny glared at him as his voice rose in irritation. "You have dibs on that one, Nurse Rachet. By the way, what did you do to my favorite shirt with your super-sized pocketknife?"

June covered her growing smile with one hand as she listened to the unexpected exchange that was also rising in volume. "Wow". She whispered once again as she tried to keep up with what was happening and looked from one to the other.

"Favorite … _shirt_? You have favorite _**shirts**_ now, D?" Leaning back and crossing his arms, Steve's narrowed his eyes to peer down at Danny's annoyed face. "And … what? My super-sized … _**what**_?"

"Oh boy." Whispered Chin with a grin to Kono, who rolled her happily shining eyes up to the ceiling and echoed. "Here we go!"

Amused but unsure what to do, June stood back and then started to laugh as she watched the scene slowly unfold between the team members. Looking over to catch her eye, Chin nodded and then smirked.

"And, uh … yeah. Sometimes this happens too."

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

A few hours later Danny had been moved to a private room and the doctor had made another appearance to make sure he was settled and to recheck vitals. June took the opportunity to bow out happily giving Danny a kiss on his forehead and everyone a warm hug. Pulling Steve out into the hallway she whispered that he seemed to be okay, but was totally wiped out.

"He's like a little kid that doesn't want to go sleep." She chided gently. "He's really fighting it for some reason."

Looking back into the room, Steve quickly studied Danny's face as the doctor completed his evaluation. Dark smudges under his eyes were starting to stand out in contrast to his still pale face. And Steve raised his eyebrows as he saw him stifle a yawn.

But Danny was smiling very smugly when Steve re-entered the room. Having just won the war against the offensive oxygen mask, both IV's had also been removed. However the victories were short-lived when the nasal cannula arrived and his doctor stood back daring him.

"You remove this Detective, and we'll be having a private discussion about your ongoing care during your stay in my hospital."

The warning finally got Steve to at least smile as he lounged against the far wall of the room along with Chin and Kono. And before leaving, the doctor gave them all a quick update.

"He'll be here two more days. I want him on oxygen throughout the night and he needs _absolute_ rest."

Pointing to Danny's chest, he motioned towards the bruising and tightly wrapped battered ribs. "One that was originally healing nicely … it now has a bad break and two others are quite bruised."

Catching Danny's tired eyes, the doctor gave him a knowing look and another strident warning. "Again, _rest_ is the key word. Off your feet and _resting_. Preferably _sleeping_."

After the doctor left the room, Steve was wary as he saw the occasional wince, heard the shallow cough and watched the over-tired, glassy eyes battle a desperate urge to sleep.

Frowning, Kono looked at him closely and crossed her arms. "You know what? Chin and I are going to go too. I think we're only keeping you from doctor's orders."

"Yeah, you're right." Chin agreed as Danny unsuccessfully tried to hide another large yawn. "We'll be back tomorrow."

Turning back to the bed after they'd left, Steve quietly pulled up the spare chair. "You do need to sleep." Steve softly coaxed as he saw a flicker of anxiety pass over Danny's face.

"You were exhausted before all of this happened. I sure don't know how you're managing to stay awake now."

Once again choosing to stand, Steve leaned his elbows on the bed rails and then fixed the blankets around Danny's shoulders. "Just sleep Danno." Hesitating for a moment, he studied Danny's face silently and finally nodded in understanding. "It's all good."

"We've said that before." Danny muttered as his glazed and weary eyes drifted shut and then snapped open stubbornly. "Look where it got us."

"Yeah." Steve huffed out. "I know. But this time it is. Your little guardian angel and the FBI concur." Smiling gently he added. "Plus _you_ know it is."

And as they shared another look, Danny slowly began to smile as well and then nodded in agreement. It was over and there would be no bad dreams, panic attacks, or unexpected visitors.

"_Concur_?" Danny had to taunt tiredly as he gave a little cough. "Big word for you, Steven." Sighing, he scrunched down in the bed as he tried to get comfortable, wincing as the newly injured ribs pulled.

With a soft chuckle, Steve couldn't help one last attempt at verbal sparring. "_Concur_ is my 'ergo' to you, buddy."

The resulting pointed look from Danny failed and it soon had them both grinning. And then sparing Steve one more stubborn and searching look, he nodded once more and gave in to the urgent need for a deep, healing sleep.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

A few days later, Danny and Steve were once more at the courthouse for a brief sit-in at Hoffman's trial. As the judge entered from chambers and Bruce Hoffman was escorted in, both men noticed the glaring absence of his original personal defense attorney. They'd soon discover that Hoffman's lawyer had resigned arguing that his client could no longer pay for his services. Abandoning the fast sinking ship and still garnering his illicit paycheck, the man was now long gone.

Danny had insisted on attending yet again just a few days after being released from the hospital. Steve had agreed, with the caveat that he first visit the Naval counselor. The melodramatic _Nurse Rachet _comments had come fast and hard, but he'd gone willingly enough for the consultations; and the resulting approval solidified the decision.

"Huh." Danny whispered. "Wonder what happened to his lawyer?" Steve's only response was to shrug. He didn't particularly care as he stole furtive glances at Danny.

"Don't know." Steve muttered and then wasn't able to help asking the inevitable question. "You good?"

"I thought we had this discussion already, Steven." Flapping the light blue tie that he was wearing directly in Steve's face, he grinned as he whispered back. "Now _**this one**_ is my lucky tie!"

Scowling, Steve slapped it away and shook his head. "Enough with the tie already." He hissed under his breath.

Smiling widely, Danny calmly sat in the back of the courtroom and watched the proceedings. Though much of the very recent happenings could not directly be pinned back to Hoffman, the Governor already had a conversation of sorts with the judge. And then Danny had done his best to revise his deposition; while another jilted businessman had bravely and very unexpectedly stepped forward to corroborate the allegations and charges against Bruce Hoffman. The man was going down and going down hard.

Danny was still smiling when Hoffman turned around at the long defense table with his new court appointed lawyer and their eyes met. But this time, the shared message was quite different.

When Hoffman saw the very much alive and healthy Detective, he paled considerably and swallowed hard. Looking away quickly, a sheen of sweat broke out on his forehead.

Even though his lawyer had left him high and dry, Hoffman still had assumed that his plan had been effective. Jailed or not and with coffers empty or full, his little world still had been quite blissful right up until that very moment. But his communication to the outside world had ceased when the lawyer walked out and his accountant was suddenly nonresponsive. He hadn't known about the true and absolute failure of his plan.

And as his newly appointed counsel confusedly slid an odd cryptic piece of paper to his client – a weird little note slid under his office door the day before and in a typed envelope addressed to B Hoffman - the man visibly choked as he understood its dire message. The death of three prized operatives would eventually prove to be a very high personal price to pay.

"Shall we?" Danny said cheerfully to Steve, as he stood to leave. He'd seen enough and had gracefully made his point.

"I think so." Steve replied with an equally delighted smile. Leaving the courthouse and Bruce Hoffman far behind, the two had no driving need to stay and much better things to do as they walked companionably away.

But Steve threw his hands up in the air as Danny muttered one last time, "You still owe me a shirt you know …"

_**~ End ~**_


End file.
